Bellport Village elects first female mayor

"I am thrilled about the overwhelming show of support I’ve seen from my hometown, Bellport Village. I look forward to working with the Board and leading our community as one village, while we address the important work ahead," Veitch said, also congratulating Lorraine Mazza Kuehn and Michael Young in their new Trustee roles as well as thanking Kieran Murphy for running a good race focusing on transparency, communication, and safety. "Elections are a great deal of work and I appreciate the efforts of the village staff, attorney and all those who participated in the Democratic process." "Of course, I especially want to give a shout out to my team and supporters who made my run for mayor a success," she added. "I intend to hit the ground running and look forward to tapping into the talents and ideas of my fellow residents."”

Maureen Veitch, first female mayor of Bellport Village

Former trustee Maureen Veitch has been elected as the first female mayor of Bellport Village. She took the election with a total of 646 votes to her opponent Kieran Murphy’s 211 votes. She will now serve a two-year term, replacing term-limited and longtime mayor, Ray Fell, as of this July.

The village also elected two, two-year board of trustee seats to replace term-limited and longtime trustees Bob Rosenberg and Mike Ferrigno. Both Lorraine Mazza Kuehn and Michael Young were elected with 660 and 644 votes, respectively.

“Thank you to all those who have voted for me and placed their confidence in my capabilities to represent, protect, and honor our quaint Village of Bellport. I can assure you that I will carry out my responsibilities to the greatest of my ability. I am proud to serve our village and to bring diversity back to the board,” Kuehn said after receiving the election results. “Although the trustee seat was a non-contested race, I worked hard to gain your trust and I am most proud to be the highest vote-getter in this race!”

“We have put in place a terrific team through an election that was characterized by graciousness and constructive dialogue,” said Young of the election results. “What a wonderful thing to live in this community.”

The election took place at the Bellport Community Center from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, June 20. A total of 285 absentee ballots were cast with 10 being rejected. Write-ins for trustee included Robin Young Roe with one vote, Howard Read with two votes, and Maria Altaris with one vote. Prior to the election, the Long Island Advance held a Meet the Mayoral Candidates event.

Veitch is a longtime Bellport resident who grew up on North Howell’s Point Road, graduated from Bellport High School, and spent her teen years ringing up customers at Wallen’s IGA Market. She is proud to be part of a large Bellport family, with 11 siblings in all and countless nieces and nephews. Veitch has had a home in Bellport for decades and her grown son, Brian, also lives in the village. She was previously elected to serve a one-year unexpired term as a Bellport Village trustee from July 2021 to July 2022.

"Ten years was a good run for Bob Rosenberg, and Michael Ferrigno and myself, and it's good to get fresh blood in there to get a new perspective into the village," said current Mayor Ray Fell. "I am sure all three of them will do a fine job."