Jens-Smith, 54, of Laurel in Riverhead, is running on the Democratic ticket in her second bid for office after failing to win a town board seat in 2015. She is president of the Mattituck-Cutchogue Board of Education, holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pace University and has been a project coordinator with the North Fork Alliance, which combats substance abuse among local youths. Jens-Smith is married with two children.

Jens-Smith said she wants to revitalize Riverhead’s downtown area by working with the town’s Business Improvement District to promote and enhance the area. Jens-Smith also wants to improve the town’s management of its finances, pointing to a Moody’s downgrade of the town’s credit rating from Aa2 in 2015 to its current AA3 rating, and change Main Street’s zoning code to remove large-scale buildings off there and into walkable districts. She said she would also make the sale of the EPCAL property in Calverton a priority. “Mr. Walter’s visions for Riverhead aren’t different, but our approaches are,” Jens-Smith said.

Walter, 51, of Wading River, is running on the Republican ticket for his fifth and final two-year term as Riverhead Town supervisor. He first took office in 2008 and has been re-elected ever since. Walter holds an associate of science degree from Sullivan County Community College, a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a law degree from St. John’s University Law School. Walter is married with three children.

If re-elected, Walter said he would aim to continue working on investing in and revitalizing Main Street. Walter added he is working toward making final the Enterprise Park at Calverton subdivision sale and was “cautiously optimistic” it would be completed next year. “I think the majority of the residents feel the town is going in the right direction,” Walter said. “My hope is that if residents feel good about the town, then I’m your guy.”