VOTE
Gordon Gooding
for Town Supervisor
General Election
November 4, 2025
or by Absentee Ballot
Early Voting dates
October 25 to Nov 2, 2025
Please Note: Contributions to the SIDC on behalf of Gordon are limited to $138,600 per donor.
Please Note: Donations for either Gordon or Mike Reiter at this site are limited to $1000 per person per candidate.
Questions? Contact Cathy Kenny: cathyannkennyesq@gmail.com
I will listen to everyone. I will seek consensus on issues. We will find solutions together.
Leadership
Good leadership involves openness, good listening skills, receptiveness to other opinions, consensus building, willingness to compromise, and a desire to inspire positive change. And, when necessary, the ability to take a hard stance against negative impacts and initiatives.
As a Town Board member, I see the need for strong leadership in our Town government. Our taxes continued to increase even while our property assessments were neglected for three years. As a result we were recently hit with sizeable changes with 100% property evaluations. Our community character and environment are at risk from inflation, the construction of oversized structures, and ineffective septic systems. It’s time to make tough decisions.
Protecting what we love. Building what we need.
Why I'm Running
I’m running for Town Supervisor because I care deeply about the future of Shelter Island.
It’s time to move forward and take real action on Shelter Island’s most pressing challenges: protecting our water, preserving our community’s character, ensuring balanced development, and improving affordability. In light of recent property assessments, we must also prioritize controlling real property tax increases.
Things can’t continue as they are. We need new leadership and a clear new direction.
STOP THE STALLING
LET’S START GETTING THINGS DONE!
A clear vision. A stronger island.
Key Actions Since Assuming Office in January
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Called for monthly financial updates and on-time budgets.
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Convinced the Town Board to open the Capital Planning and Grants Committee to the public.
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Reviewed and questioned all monthly Town invoices.
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Pushed for I/A system installation at municipal buildings.
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Convinced the Town Board to replace the former Town Attorney with effective interim counsel.
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Saved taxpayers' money by shifting wetlands environmental permit review costs to applicants.
Qualifications
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Elected to the Town Board in 2025, bringing a hands-on approach to addressing our community’s priorities.
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Chaired the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board (2016–2025) during which time the Town acquired 55 acres.
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Over 30 years of experience running a construction business that gave him practical knowledge of planning, budgeting, and problem-solving.
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Strong understanding of the Town’s budget process and skilled in reviewing and analyzing financial statements.
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Experienced in negotiation and collaboration, always looking for common ground to achieve the best outcomes for our community.
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41-year Shelter Island homeowner with his wife, Kathy. He knows firsthand the needs, values, and aspirations of this community we call home.
Let's Keep Shelter Island Affordable for everyone.
Priorities
WATER
Protect Our Drinking Water, Bays, and Creeks
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No further delay: install Innovative and Advanced (I/A) septic systems at Town Hall, the Police Station, Justice Hall, the Community Center, and the Firehouse to prevent further deterioration of groundwater in and flowing from the Center. The school did it two years ago with a substantial reduction in nitrogen.
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Provide more help to residents to install I/A systems and require their installation upon the sale of a home or business, as is done in other island jurisdictions.
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Study water conditions in different parts of the Island and develop appropriate solutions.
COMMUNITY CHARACTER
Make Affordable Housing Happen Now
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Make it a TOP priority for the Town Board by having the Community Housing Board’s updates on the agenda at each Town Board Work Session.
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Initiate an all-hands-on-deck approach to accelerate the timeline.
BALANCED DEVELOPMENT
Change and Enforce the Town Code—It’s Not Too Late!
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Stop giving special permits to structures within 100 feet of the wetlands.
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Require an independent environmental review on all major projects.
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Stop playing games with house sizes and develop a workable standard or formula
REAL ESTATE TAX INCREASES
Control Town Spending
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Other local jurisdictions have not experienced the tax increases we have. Just look at Southold. Because our property tax assessments were neglected for 3 years, we were all hit with dramatic assessment increases.
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Fiscal responsibility includes cutting wasteful expenditures and improving accountability across all departments. It also means not tripling fees, like mooring fees, to fill gaps in the budget.
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As a careful watchdog, I will ensure that every dollar the Town spends is necessary, thereby controlling property taxes and making this a more sustainable community.
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In this respect, I propose a hiring freeze until our budget is reviewed and adopted so that we will have a better perspective on what we need and can afford.
It's time for change
Let's Chat
Do you have a question?
Do you want to get involved?
I look forward to hearing from you.