Supervisor Walter Honored by Suffolk County Conservatives

Supervisor Sean Walter was honored on Monday, along with three other East End elected officials, at the First Annual East End Conservative Patriot Awards Ceremony at Stonewalls.

Walter, a former chairman of the Riverhead Conservative Party for nearly eight years, said on Thursday he believes he's earned the award since being elected into office in the fall of 2009.

"From a concrete standpoint, we have been very conservative in town hall," said Walter, who faces re-election this upcoming fall and will face the man he defeated nearly two years ago, Democrat Phil Cardinale. 

"We cut staff, which was painful. We were able to negotiate with the unions a zero, zero, 1.5," he said, referring to the wage increases the town's Civil Service Employee Association will receive over the next three years. "And we've held the line on expenditures."

Walter added that he has the 2009 audits in hand,due to a promise the town's auditing firm made in mid-March, when it presented the town's overdue 2008 audits. 

Suffolk County Conservative Party Chairman Ed Walsh said the following in presenting the award to Walter and the other honorees: "Their leadership in government, based on conservative principles, is especially important during these, the most trying of times.  Each of the honorees are true patriots, and each are a shining example of the very best we have in public service."

Along with Walter, the other three elected officials were honored: East Hampton Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, Southampton Councilman Chris Nuzzi, and Southold Councilman Bill Ruland.

Each of the four was given a crystal eternal flame engraved with the inscription, "In grateful appreciation for your untiring and unstinting dedication to the Conservative Party and its philosophy.”