Lofstad Wins Seat on Southampton Town Board

Julie Lofstad has won a seat on the Southampton Town Board in a special election held Tuesday, giving Supervisor Jay Schneiderman the Democratic majority on the board.

Ms. Lofstad received about 62 percent of the vote, while her opponent, Richard W. Yastrzemski, a Republican, took in about 38 percent, according to unofficial results posted on the Suffolk County Board of Elections website Tuesday night. She ran on the Democratic, Independence, and Conservative lines.

Ms. Lofstad will be filling a vacancy left by Brad Bender, who resigned amid drug charges in November. When Mr. Schneiderman, a member of the Independence Party who was also endorsed by the Democrats, won the supervisor seat in November — his opponent was Mr. Yastrzemski — he thought he had a majority on the board. However, by the end of the month, Mr. Bender was under arrest, pleaded guilty, and subsequently resigned. The board has been split 2 to 2, and Mr. Schneiderman has held off on making several important appointments, including hiring a new town attorney. 

Ms. Lofstad, a Hampton Bays resident, has run a commercial fishing business with her husband for the past 15 years. She has worked for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.