Touts Record of Accomplishments during First Year in Office While Managing Challenges Posed by COVID-19

On February 22, Yvette Aguiar announced that she has accepted the nomination from the Riverhead Republican Party for a second term as Town Supervisor. The announcement was made during the Riverhead GOP’s convention at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2476.

“I am honored to have received this nomination and will continue to move Riverhead forward, fighting for our great Town, across all communities and at all

levels of government,” Ms. Aguiar said. “I am committed to continue working for all of Riverhead. I am also honored to see the entire committee is unified by casting only one vote, indicating the entire committee’s full support.”

Ms. Aguiar cited the challenges and accomplishments of her first 14 months in office. First and foremost was helping residents navigate the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred nine weeks after taking office. At the same time, she addressed the fiscal challenges the Town experienced as a result of the pandemic. She cut the operating budget by 1.14%, and the Town’s debt was also reduced by $9.68 million, putting Riverhead on a stronger fiscal footing and reducing future internal expenses.

“As a Town, we were faced with a sizable budgetary shortfall,” Ms. Aguiar said. “We mitigated these losses by cutting all non-essential spending, placing promotions on hold and limiting new hires, while maintaining the services our taxpayers expect and deserve.”

Among the initiatives taken to address the effects of COVID-19 on the Town’s most vulnerable, she oversaw the establishment of the Riverhead SAFE (Senior Assistance For Essentials) program, which delivered food, medicine and essentials to homebound senior citizens; the creation of the Senior Emergency Hotline, which provided the most up-to-date information on COVID-19; and the expansion of the Meals on Wheels program.

She also announced that, on Friday, the Town will launch a senor outreach program, which will go online, to ensure the Town’s seniors are vaccinated and will be provided with transportation to and from vaccination sites. “The COVID-19 vaccine availability has been sporadic, and the process has been very stressful on our seniors,” she said. “The Senior Hotline coordinator and our Senior Center will join forces to ensure our seniors receive vaccines, once they become available.”

Realizing the challenges posed by the pandemic will subside, she also continued to focus on Riverhead’s future through economic development, balanced by maintaining the East End quality of life, supporting the farmers, supporting the businesses and remaining committed to continue stabilizing the Town’s finances under the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the subject of redeveloping its downtown, Ms. Aguiar said the Town’s Pattern Book has been completed and adopted, and updates to its Comprehensive Master Plan have begun. “The Pattern Book will be used as a tool to modify zoning and further enhance revitalizing our Main Street,” she said. “The Comprehensive Master Plan will serve as a roadmap to our future. Community involvement is critical.”

“My background in management at various institutions, both in the private and public sectors, and my higher educational background in teaching management, along with my supervisory law enforcement experience, has served me well,” she said.

Ms. Aguiar is a retired Detective Sergeant with the New York Police Department’s Counter Terrorism Division. She was trained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in criminal profiling, crime scenes, surveillance, and the interviewing and interrogation of suspects. She served as the Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Briarcliffe College. She is an Associate Professor at American Military University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a Master’s in Public Administration from John Jay College, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Northcentral University.

In 2019, Ms. Aguiar was elected Town Supervisor, defeating Democratic incumbent Laura Jens-Smith and becoming the first Latina to be elected to that post and the first Latina Town Supervisor elected in Suffolk County.

“I wish to thank the Riverhead Republican Party for having faith in my ability to lead and selecting me for re-election as Riverhead Town Supervisor,” Ms. Aguiar said. “I am confident we will overcome any crisis we may face. As a Town, we will continue to be innovative, proactive and explore all avenues to move our great Town forward with pride and resilience.”

“We are excited to have nominated Yvette Aguiar for Riverhead Supervisor,” said Tammy Robinkoff, Chair, Riverhead Republican Committee. “She has done an outstanding job as Riverhead Town Supervisor under the pandemic, and we look forward to seeing what her leadership will bring in the future.”

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