Week in Review: Election, Food Politics

Voters strengthened the hand of Town Board Democrats on Tuesday, re-electing Town Supervisor Frank Petrone and councilman Mark Cuthbertson while ousting Republican Mark Mayoka in favor of Tracey Edwards. Gene Cook, the independent endorsed by Republicans, will be the only non-Democrat on the board as of January.

The Suffolk County Board of Elections has received 1,640 absentee ballots  so far, with this coming Tuesday the deadline votes from military are due by Nov. 18. Next week, a standard audit will randomly test results of about 3 percent of all ballots cast.

Pete Gunther, a Republican, was elected highway superintendent, defeating William Naughton who has served for 26 years.

The Politics of Hunger
Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, U.S. Rep. Steve Israel, D-Huntington and others talked the politics of American food policy at a showing of the documentary "A Place at the Table." 

Sitar Comes Down
A work crew was busy clearing away the remnants of the Sitar restaurant's demolition this week. The abandoned building on West Jericho Turnpike has been the target of complaints for years. 

Rabbit and Friends Bring on the Books
Peter Rabbit and several friends went to Oakwood Primary Center Wednesday to deliver books and a message about literacy. Anthony N. Dalessio, managing partner of the Melville office of KPMG, said the firm has delivered more than 1 million books to students across the country since the inception five years ago of its KPMG Family for Literacy.