Voting for the Brightwaters election, in which three seats will be up for grabs, will take place at Brightwaters Village Hall from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on June 18. Two candidates are running for board of trustee seats, including incumbent Mary Del Vecchio running for re-election, and novice William Pitta, who is running to fill the seat currently held by trustee Michael Dopsovic. For the position of mayor, current mayor John Valdini is running as an unopposed incumbent.

Elected candidates will be sworn in for their two-year term on July 1. Before you vote, get to know the candidates running for office.

Mary Del Vecchio

An unopposed incumbent, Mary Del Vecchio was raised in Brightwaters and has served on the village board of trustees for almost six years. She currently teaches at South Country Elementary School in the Bay Shore School District. Del Vecchio has given birth to both of her daughters while serving as a trustee.

Could you describe one of your greatest accomplishments as a trustee?

“Building relationships with residents. I bring a bit of a unique perspective because I started so young, and as a young mom in town, I think I have a different perspective than some of the other trustees, specifically about what is going on at areas like the parks and the beach.

If elected, what goals would you like to accomplish, or what changes would you like to make, during your term?

“I just want to continue the good work we have been putting in the past few years and maintain the things that make our village special.”

What issues do you think are central to the people of Brightwaters?

“I think the health of our lakes and canal are extremely important. On top of that, taking care of the beach and the parks.”

William Pitta

William Pitta, who is running uncontested for his first term of office, has lived in Brightwaters for 14 years with his wife, Brooke. Pitta has been a fireman for 21 years and is currently a lieutenant in the FDNY. Pitta is also the coordinator for Bay Shore Youth Girls Lacrosse and assists in running village events whenever he can.

If elected, what goals would you like to accomplish, or what changes would you like to make, during your term?

“I would like to work with the board to deal with our traffic issues and public safety in the village. I would like to continue building the village community with resident involvement, as John Valdini has in his years involved with Brightwaters.”

What issues do you think are central to the Brightwaters community?

“Public Safety, traffic, community involvement, beautification [are all issues central to the Brightwaters community].”

John Valdini

A resident of Brightwaters for 32 years, John Valdini is finishing his sixth year as mayor of Brightwaters. In addition to his role as mayor, he works as a carpentry contractor.

Could you describe one of your greatest accomplishments as mayor?

“I came in with a construction background, so my goal was to upgrade and fix things that have been pushed off for many years. Re-doing the cabin right away was very important to me and was a great community effort, with a lot of donations involved and time from residents. We have redone the bridges, updated the gazebos, updated the bathrooms at Walker Beach, and 1500 feet of canal. Our village is over 100 years old, and things need to be kept in the way that people expect. Getting through COVID the way we did was an accomplishment, too. Instead of canceling everything and hiding out for two years, we tried innovative ways of getting the people out.”

If elected, what goals would you like to accomplish, or what changes would you like to make, during your term?

“We still have some issues with our downtown Orinoco corridor. I would like to see that moving forward in an orderly fashion. As far as maintaining all the things we have accomplished, yes, we have done them, but now we need to maintain them. There are issues that the board does not want to raise taxes too high, but things cost money. So, there is navigation to be done ahead.”

What issues do you think are central to the people of Brightwaters?

“By now, one of the biggest issues we have is safety on the roads. We have too many people who do not care about pedestrian safety, going through stop signs. We made an effort with our PR campaign, “It’s Our Town, Slow Down,” but now we are going to be going forward with some follow-up actions. We will have a public hearing and will add some stop signs at Orinoco Drive to try and slow people down in our business district. Then we are going to do more research on speed humps. We are not going to just have a nice PR day and then go away. We will follow up with actions. But the residents will need to help out, too. If they have issues or requests, they have to come to us. So, I encourage residents to be involved.”