The Press of Manorville & the Moriches Online Edition

When the polls at the Mastic Beach Firehouse closed at 9 p.m. Tuesday, there were still more than 100 people patiently waiting in line—it wrapped around the building—to cast their ballots either for or against the formation of a village.

An hour later, the line gone and all the votes counted, Brookhaven Town Clerk Patricia Eddington announced the results: 1,797 for corporation, 1,385 against.

The Village of Mastic Beach was born.

With a “thank you very much, and good night” from Town Supervisor Mark Lesko, a roar erupted near the corner of Neighborhood Road and Doris Drive, as hundreds of village supporters poured into the streets, waving green signs over their heads. “We did it! We did it!” they yelled. “History has been made!”

The celebration carried on into the night, marking the culmination of more than three years of work and campaigning by village supporters, and signaling defeat for opponents following an equally long fight.

Since the idea of a village manifested, it sparked a heated and emotional debate throughout the hamlet over how much incorporation would cost taxpayers, who would control the waterfront—part of which is currently managed by the Mastic Beach Property Owners Association (MBPOA)—and whether or not incorporation could clean up an area with a rough reputation. The majority decided it can.

Organizers have promised to focus village government on the quality of life of a population plagued by an oversaturation of slumlords, sex offenders, sober homes, and blighted homes and businesses. One of the chief responsibilities of the village, organizers have said, will be to employ code inspectors to patrol the village and cite non-complying landlords.

MBPOA member and village opponent Maura Spery said she was shocked after the vote.

“We lost,” she said with a shrug, walking back into the firehouse. “I just can’t believe it.”

Brookhaven 6th District Town Councilman Dan Panico said the result did not boil down to winning or losing.

“Now is the time to come together and do something positive,” he said outside the firehouse. “Tomorrow is as important as today, because the village needs to be inclusive of all ideas—and I believe it will. Everyone’s opinion will help this community grow into the place it truly should be.”

Paul Breschard, chairman of the Mastic Beach Village Exploratory Committee, the group that created the incorporation effort, echoed the sentiment to the crowd with the help of a megaphone. “The real work begins tomorrow,” he said. “And, to the opposition, this is their village, too.”

“Not to me,” one woman said from within the crowd, but the pro-villagers’ overwhelming cheers drowned her out as they chanted, “Thank you, Paul! Thank you, Paul!”

The vote was expected to be made official yesterday, after which the town clerk’s office is charged with preparing and delivering a report of incorporation to the New York State Secretary of State’s office, the state comptroller’s office and board of real property services, as well as the clerk and treasurer of Suffolk County. From there, the secretary of state’s office issues a certificate of incorporation back to the town clerk’s office, and the village is created.

Ms. Spery said the MBPOA will not be challenging the election or vote.

“People voted, and it passed by hundreds of votes more than us,” she said. “What’s the point?”

Within five days after receiving the incorporation certificate, the town clerk will appoint a temporary village clerk, who will then be in charge of organizing an election for a mayor and four trustees within 60 days of the appointment, Mr. Breschard said.

“And then it’s, ‘Here we go again,’” he said, referring to the election that would follow. “Hopefully, for that vote, we’ll be in a little cooler weather in early November.” Election day temperatures reached a high of 93 degrees, according to some forecasters, but still, more than 3,000 people voted between noon and 9 p.m.

“What stands out in my mind is the number of people who actually came out and voted,” Mr. Panico said. “I think that says something very good about the community that I grew up in and the community that I will now work with as an incorporated village.”

Once the mayor and trustees are elected, they will hire a permanent village clerk, as well as a village attorney and treasurer.

“We’ll have our own government,” said Sam Pletenik, a Mastic Beach resident. “We don’t have to answer to Big Brother Brookhaven.”

Mr. Lesko, who spent the day working as a voting inspector, said he was impressed by how strongly voters felt about the vote and how educated they were on all of the issues.

“The people have spoken,” he said. “And it seems to me that at the start of next year, or soon thereafter, we’re going to have a Village of Mastic Beach and elected officials.”

The pro-village camp has emphasized that incorporation will not increase taxes, but resident Lawrence Hughes said taxes are irrelevant when held up to the greater scheme.

“Taxes right now aren’t so bad,” he said, “and we need a change around here. As long as the village helps, I wouldn’t mind paying a little bit more.”

Ms. Spery said that even though the majority has sealed the area’s fate, they don’t realize what is coming.

“We know it’s not going to be a tax-neutral village,” she said. “They wanted their village, and they got their village. But when they get their tax bills in three years, their heads are going to explode.”

Ms. Spery said she is proud of the campaign that her camp ran, noting that she will not be involving herself in the village once it is officially formed.

“They just want to clean up the mess, wink, wink,” she said. “I don’t want any part of that.”

A number of people who felt they were entitled to vote, but who were left off the voter rolls, were allowed to cast paper ballots, called registration challenges. Those will be counted and added to the final tally. But the number of votes cast will not be enough to change the outcome of the vote, according to town spokesman Jack Krieger, who said there were fewer than 70 votes to be counted yesterday. After that, the steps to get the village on track will be set in motion.

“This is the first time that the people of Mastic Beach had a chance to decide their own future,” Mr. Breschard said. “It’s usually decided for us.”

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