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Politics & Government

Cardinale Will Screen for Supervisor, But Unsure He'll Run in Fall Election

Democrats to hold screening for council seats Monday night; supervisor screening to follow.

Former three-term town supervisor Phil Cardinale, who was unseated by Supervisor Sean Walter in 2009, confirmed Monday that he will screen for the Democratic nomination for his old job when the party’s screening committee meets soon to select their candidate for the top slot on their ticket.

But he was quick to add that he remains undecided about actually running for the position in November’s election should he receive his party’s nomination – which, according to Democratic Chairman Vinny Villella, would be Cardinale’s for the asking.

Cardinale, who alerted the party on Sunday night of his decision to screen, said his decision to run would depend on the strength of the candidates the Democrats nominate for the two council seats that are open this year.

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"I want to first make sure that we have a united party with good candidates and the promise of a well-organized campaign effort," said Cardinale, who lost to Walter by 249 votes in November of 2009. Cardinale said he had made contact with several people he considered well-qualified for council positions, but that all turned down his request to run, citing previous obligations.

Cardinale said he was told earlier today that screening for supervisor would take place tonight, only to be informed later that only candidates for council seats would be screened tonight. Screening for supervisor is expected to take place later this week, or early next week.

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Contacted early Monday, Marge Acevedo, chair of the party's screening committee, refused to reveal the names of candidates who would be screening tonight for council or even where the screening would take place.

But Angela DeVito, former president of the Riverhead school district, who remains a member of the school board, confirmed Monday that she would seek the party’s nomination for council and had been asked to show up tonight at 6:30 at the offices of Landmark Reality in Wading River.

According to Joan Zaniskey, a member of the Democratic Committee, Matt Van Glad, a Democratic committee member from Riverhead, will also screen for council tonight, as will Marlando Williams, a former state trooper who lives in Calverton. Williams last year ran for a seat on the school board, but was defeated. 

Villella said that Robert Svoboda of Calverton is also expected to screen for council.

Former councilwoman Rose Sanders has also been rumored to have been asked to screen for a council seat.

Sanders was passed over by the Riverhead Republican Committee for nomination to a second term in 2005. Instead, the GOP nominated John Dunleavy, who went on to win a primary against Sanders in September of 2005. Dunleavy then scored a victory in the general election that year and was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2009.

Sanders had also screened for the Democratic nomination for council in 2007. Failing to get the Democratic nod, which went to John Stefans, she then ran for council in the general election on the Working Families line. Both she and Stefans were defeated by Republican George Gabrielsen.

A call to Sanders for a comment went unanswered, but Cardinale said Monday that she would make for a good candidate for the Democrats.

Should Cardinale decide not to run for supervisor, several candidates are standing by.

Ron Hariri, a  Manhattan lawyer with a second home in Aquebogue where he is registered to vote, said Monday that he would screen for supervisor, but would only seek the nomination should Cardinale turn it down.

If the former supervisor decided to run, Hararri said he would then ask for the party’s nomination to run for a council seat.

According to Democratic Party Chairman Villella, Republican Councilman Jim Wooten submitted his resume to the Democrats two weeks ago, requesting to screen for supervisor on the Democratic line.

On Monday, however, Villella said he wasn't sure that Wooten would follow though and actually screen, and a call to Wooten went unanswered.

As previously reported, Wooten, who is up for re-election to council, for supervisor, asking the Republicans to nominate him for council should they deny him the supervisor’s nomination at their convention on May 11.

Another candidate for supervisor expected to screen for supervisor is Greg Fischer of Calverton.

Fischer has sought the party’s nomination for council in the past and ran a primary in 2007 against Amy Csorny, who had been the party’s choice. Fischer lost his primary challenge and Csorny went on to lose in the general election in her bid for a council seat.

In addition to Acevedo, members of the Democrat’s candidate screening committee include Mike Roth, Linda Hobson, Dan Hilton and Mike Comando. All are elected members of the town’s Democratoc Committee.

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