Larry Cantwell Receives Most GOP Write-In Votes; Says He'll Turn Nod Down

Despite winning the Republican primary for supervisor, the results of which were released on Friday, Larry Cantwell said he won't accept the nomination.

"My position has been consistent for months to respectfully decline. I appear on the Democrat line with Job Potter and Kathee Burke Gonzalez for town board who have my support," Cantwell said in an email on Friday evening. "I also appear on the Independence Line with all Republicans. If I accepted the Republican endorsement I would appear on two major lines with the Republicans and only one with the Democrats. I believe this is unfair to the candidates I support," he said. 

Nearly four weeks after the GOP primary, the Suffolk County Board of Elections declared Cantwell, a Democrat, the winner, after he received the most write-in votes — 35 of the 69 votes cast in the Sept. 10 primary, or nearly 51 percent of the votes. The unofficial results previously reported a total of 67 votes.

The Republicans were unable to come up with another candidate, after Jay Schneiderman, a Suffolk County legislator from Montauk, declined the nomination in March, deciding instead to run for a final term on the legislature. 

Supervisor Bill Wilkinson, a Republican who had decided not to seek re-election for a third term in office, received 13 votes, or nearly 19 percent of the total votes. 

"I don't talk to the Republican party and the Republican party doesn't talk to me," he said. "Obviously if the Republican party used the primary as a template for succession then they should now have the answers."

Asked if he would accept the nomination if Cantwell declined it, Wilkinson said he already said he was not seeking re-election.

Theresa Quigley, currently serving as the Deputy Supervisor, received three votes. A Republican, she also said she was not seeking re-election to the town board for a second term.

Fred Overton, the current town clerk who is a Republican and Independence candidate for town board, received two write-in votes for supervisor, as did Dominick Stanzione, a Republican incumbent who is seeking re-election.

There were 14 others who received one write-in vote each, including Zach Cohen, who ran a tight race on the Democratic ticket in 2011 against Wilkinson.

For the full results, click here.

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