Piccirillo Declared Winner In Suffolk Legislature Race

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY - Two weeks after Election Day, a winner has finally been officially declared in the hotly contested race between William Lindsay III and Anthony Piccirillo for the Suffolk County Legislative 8th district seat.

The unofficial votes after Election Day on Nov. 5 named challenger Piccirillo the winner. However, with only a few hundred votes separating the two it was too close to call until all the absentee ballots were added up.

After the votes were counted, Piccirillo was officially unseated incumbent Lindsay. The Suffolk County Board of Elections didn't have the exact number of votes, but confirmed to Patch that Piccirillo won by 215 votes.

"Although I am disappointed with the final election results, I am incredibly thankful for being able to serve the people of the 8th Legislative District for the past 6 years," Lindsay said in a statement. "The opportunity to sit in my father’s chair and walk in his footsteps has been an unimaginable blessing for my family and I. My only regret is that he didn’t live long enough to see me sworn into office."

In a statement, Piccirillo says he received 9,523 votes while Lindsay received 9,308. This will be the first time a Republican has be elected to the seat in 36 years. The district includes Bayport-Blue-Point, Holbrook, Holtsville, Sayville, West Sayville, Oakdale and parts of Ronkonkoma, Bohemia and Medford.

"I just wanted to thank the 9,500 taxpayers who put their trust in me," he said. "We knew this would be another close election and I am really proud of the campaign we ran."

This isn't the first time the race came close. During the 2017 election, Lindsay beat out Piccirillo by only 230 votes.

"I was on the other end of this 2 years ago; and it feels great to be victorious this time around," he said.

Lindsay was the only incumbent in the Suffolk County Legislative who was not re-elected. All other legislators were voted in earlier this month.

"During my campaigns I was always humbled by the support I received from so many people and organizations," he said. "I owe a great debt of thanks to the labor movement for their advice and support during my tenure."

Piccirillo said in the next few days he will be assembling a transition team before officially taking office.

"Legislator Lindsay and I spoke briefly this morning; and I look forward to reaching out to him to make sure all the important community issues that he is working on are given continued attention throughout the transition and well into my term as Suffolk County Legislator," he said. "I am looking forward to working with all the constituents and various community groups in the 8th Legislative District."

Piccirillo will officially take office in January 2020 after being sworn in during a Suffolk County Legislature organizational meeting in Hauppauge.

Lindsay says he plans to explore new opportunities and continue to serve the community in other capacities.

"I wish my opponent the best of luck and congratulate him on his victory," he said. "This is not meant to be goodbye but more of a 'see you later.'"