Gordon Gooding D
Supervisor, Town of Shelter Island

Credit: James Escher
BACKGROUND
- Gooding, 80, of Shelter Island Heights, a registered Democrat, is making his second bid for town supervisor, running on the Democratic Party line. He previously ran for supervisor in 2023. He is completing a one-year term as town council member, where he was elected in 2024 to fill a board vacancy.
- He served as chairman of the town’s Community Preservation Fund advisory committee for eight years.
- He is retired from a building materials and construction systems company.
ISSUES
- Gooding said he would work for smart development that fits Shelter Island’s rural character and would push to get a comprehensive plan in place that protects the island’s sole-source aquifer. "We have to be careful when wealthy buyers come to the island. Let’s not drink the Kool-Aid," he said. "It’s a business investment for them.".
- He said he would work to control town expenses to keep taxes as low as possible in anticipation of rising homeowner’s insurance costs and possible impacts of a return to annual 100% valuation assessments and the tax bill for the town’s new library.
- Gooding said he is running on a platform of accountability and transparency in government and will work to keep meetings open.
OPPOSING CANDIDATES
Amber F. Brach-Williams
RC