Politics & Government

UPDATE: Creighton, Wehrheim Win Town Council Race

Republican incumbents hold on to Smithtown Town Council seats.

Republican incumbents Robert Creighton and Edward Wehrheim have secured another term on the Smithtown Town Council, having beat Democratic candidates Teresa Haft and Howard Knispel with 66 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election.

Wehrheim and Creighton are up 12,064 and 11,973 votes respectively, with 99 percent of districts counted. Haft places third, garnering 6,266 and Knispel trails by a hair with 6,247 votes.

Hopefuls Haft and Knispel challenged Wehrheim and Creighton for two open council spots in the town of Smithtown.

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, who is in favor of creating a master plan for the town, said he would also like to change how the town makes decisions, which he said should be done proactively, not reactively, as he believes the town now does.

says she would like to bring new energy to the government by initiating programs that would incorporate family safety, bringing in new business and having a stronger focus on the environment.

Find out what's happening in Kings Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Both and say they are focused on economic growth for the town. Creighton would like to alleviate cumbersome fees for both businesses and homeowners and says if re-elected he will work to have those fees reduced.

Werheim, who was elected to the town council in 2003, is completing his second four-year term on the town board. Creighton, a former police commissioner for the Suffolk County Police Department, is running for his second term.

A win for Haft or Knispel would have put a Democrat on a town board that is entirely Republican.


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