Republicans retain Hempstead seat, while Democrats win in Shelter Island, East Hampton

Republican Chris Schneider defeated Democrat Kevan Abrahams on Tuesday to succeed the late Christopher Carini, according to unofficial Nassau County Board of Elections returns.

Schneider was leading Abrahams by a margin of 56.2% to 43.8%, according to unofficial board of elections results.

Carini, 49, died unexpectedly in July while visiting family in Florida. The Republican was first elected to the town board in 2019.

The Hempstead race was one of several municipal elections on Long Island. Democrats won town council races in East Hampton and Shelter Island, according to unofficial returns from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Schneider, who was appointed to the town board in August, said voters chose him because they supported his message.

"I think the issues we were talking about — the quality of life issues and protecting our communities and keeping our communities the special places that they are — I think that really resonated with people," Schneider said. 

Schneider, 44, of Seaford, who knew Carini, said of his win: "To be able to follow in my friend's footsteps and carry on the work that was so important to him makes this even more special for me." 

Democrats' push

Schneider is director of media relations for the Alzheimer's Foundation of America and previously served as a legislative aide to Republican officials. Schneider will serve the balance of Carini’s term, which runs through 2027.

Democrats saw the race for the 5th District, which encompasses Lido Beach and Point Lookout as well as sections of Freeport, Merrick, Seaford, Wantagh and Bellmore, as a rare opportunity to gain inroads on the GOP-dominated town board. Republicans hold a 6-1 majority.

Democrats have a slight advantage in voter registration in the 5th, according to data from the Nassau County Board of Elections. Out of 102,415 active voters, 36.3% are registered Democrats, 33.5% are registered Republicans, and 26.1% are not registered with a political party, the data shows.

Abrahams, 50, who works as director of regulatory and process management for Northwell Health and served for 21 years in the Nassau County Legislature, came out of political retirement to run for the Hempstead seat.

"I just want to congratulate Chris on a well fought, hard fought race and just wish him the best in this term at the town council," Abrahams said late Tuesday night. "The numbers definitely didn't shake out our way."

Abrahams thanked his supporters for "the energy and the enthusiasm behind the race and trying to fight for more transparency in the town and trying to fight the tax increase." Abrahams referenced the board's decision last month to raise the property tax levy by 12.1% for the 2025 budget. Schneider was absent for the budget votes.

East End races

In a three-way race for a Shelter Island Town council seat, Arnott Gordon Gooding prevailed with 42% of the vote to give the board a Democratic majority, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.

Gooding, 79, will fill the year left on Amber Brach-Williams’ term. Brach-Williams, a Republican, was elected supervisor in 2023.

Gooding, who narrowly lost the supervisor's race last year, defeated Republican Thomas Cronin, who had 36% of the vote. Lisa Shaw, the independent candidate who ran on the Island Action party, finished third with 21% of the vote.

Gooding said Wednesday he was "thrilled" to win and was eager to earn the trust of the residents who did not vote for him. He said protecting the environment is a top priority.

"We can’t stop growth but we’re going to try to do it smart," he said. "That’s what I hope I can bring from my experience in land preservation in that we do smart development."

The split board, with two Democrats and two Republicans, in February failed to agree on a replacement for Brach-Williams. The board deadlocked on holding a vote for a special election.

Having a fifth councilmember join the board will help "to redistribute the workload," Brach-Williams said Wednesday.

"In spite of public perception that we have been a constantly divided board, I expect Gordon will work with us to continue moving forward on issues important to the island," the supervisor said.

In East Hampton Town, Democrat Ian Calder-Piedmonte won with 69% of the vote to remain on the board for another year, according to unofficial results from the board of elections. The all-Democratic board appointed Calder-Piedmonte, 44, of Springs, earlier this year to fill the seat that Kathee Burke-Gonzalez had vacated. Burke-Gonzalez was elected supervisor in 2023.

Calder-Piedmonte defeated Republican Hyman Mariampolski, who did not actively campaign, and received 31% of the vote.

Calder-Piedmonte would need to run again in 2025 for a full term.

Southampton's town board will begin 2025 with a vacated seat after Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni, a Democrat, was elected to the New York State Assembly with 56% of the vote, according to unofficial results. Schiavoni, 61, of Sag Harbor, defeated Shelter Island Town attorney Stephen Kiely, a Republican, who had 44% of the vote.

The board can appoint a replacement in January.