The board responsible for managing elections in Suffolk County has opted to disqualify a mayoral candidate from Port Jeff from the ballot.

A surprising development has occurred in the mayoral competition for the Village of Port Jefferson.

As the village election approaches on June 20, there are two competitors, trustee Lauren Sheprow and Deputy Mayor Kathianne Snaden, fighting to replace incumbent Mayor Margot Garant, who is running for Town of Brookhaven supervisor. Sheprow's petitions were determined to be unacceptable by the Suffolk County Board of Elections during a meeting held on Tuesday, May 30. As a result of this judgment, Sheprow's name has been removed from the ballot.

In a statement, Sheprow acknowledged that her opponent contested the validity of her petitions citing an error on her cover sheet. Nevertheless, she expressed her determination to persist in her candidacy for mayor and disclosed that she will now seek election as a write-in candidate.

In a statement, Sheprow stated that her name could not be included on the ballot because of a problem with the cover sheet, after her rival's campaign and lawyers contested her petitions. This was confirmed by the Suffolk County Board of Elections on May 30th.

She stated her dedication to persisting with her mayoral campaign, even if she must run as a "write-in" candidate. Although it may be challenging, she affirmed that she would not abandon the people of Port Jefferson.

The Unity Party, whose ticket includes Snaden running with trustee Stan Loucks, has released a statement explaining the origins of the challenges to Sheprow's petitions.

The official statement released by the Unity Party states that they have invoked the Freedom of Information Act to request all documents pertaining to the filing of Ms. Sheprow's petition. Upon careful examination of the documents, the party discovered several inadequacies such as a missing cover page, blank petition forms with resident signatures, and other inconsistencies. Consequently, the election documents submitted by Ms. Sheprow were contested by the party on the grounds of these deficiencies. The election regulatory body, the SCBOE, reviewed the challenge and determined that the identified deficiencies were not only fatal but also incurable in nature.

Snaden remarked on the result in the same announcement by expressing that although a few people may be let down, it is noteworthy that the law and procedures were adhered to. He highly regards the impartiality of the nonpartisan SCBOE and the determinations they reach. The key features of good governance are adhering to the regulations with openness and honesty.

The Suffolk County Board of Elections did not provide a comment regarding this story, directing questions to the Village of Port Jefferson clerk's office instead.

During a phone interview, Barbara Sakovich, the Village clerk, clarified that she had no part in the ruling process as her role is purely administrative.

As per her statement, a challenge was raised for the mayoral position, which was subsequently taken up by the Board of Elections. The commissioners convened for a meeting and decided on the matter, without involving the village authorities.

Sakovich declared that the appeals period would continue until Friday's close of business and expressed his assumption that he will be informed by the Board of Elections if there are any modifications.

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