Brach-Williams, 54, of Shelter Island, is running on the Republican line. She is a CPA and partner in A & A Williams LLP. She also is secretary/treasurer for the Shelter Island Fire District and the finance officer at Our Lady of the Isle Church in Shelter Island Heights. Born in Rochester, she holds a bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Shelter Island Lions and the Shelter Island Chamber of Commerce.

Brach-Williams said budgeting and planning for the town’s infrastructure, such as roads and buildings, is a priority. She said preserving water quality is important, “both with our ground water and the surrounding bays.” She said short-term rental properties have been a “hot button” issue this year and that solutions to problems associated with them need to be addressed. “Shelter Island currently has no restrictions on short-term rentals unlike the surrounding towns,” Brach-Williams said. “At the beginning of the summer there were some noise issues that brought the topic to everyone’s attention. Now there is concern that, in addition to quality of life issues, that some homeowners are basically running hotels in residential neighborhoods.”

Dickson, 64, of Shelter Island, is running on the Democratic Party line. He had worked as an environmental project manager for several companies over the past 27 years before retiring in June. Dickson said having grown up on Shelter Island, he had always planned on getting involved in local government to give back to the community. He is married with three children.

Dickson said that the public health and economic well-being of Shelter Island relies on its supply of drinking water in the island’s aquifer. As chairman of the Water Advisory Council for the town, he believes nitrates in the water’s septic runoff is a particular concern for keeping the aquifer clean. He added that the council has a contract with the United States Geological Survey to further study pollutant threats to the aquifer. Dickson said that increased access to affordable housing would also be a priority during his term. He added that he would like to study the effects of the short-term rental prohibition and whether it’s been more helpful or harmful to the town.

Kaasik, 48, of Shelter Island, is running on the Republican and Conservative party lines. He studied developmental and cognitive psychology at the University of Helsinki in Finland for two years and earned a degree in finance and economics at Temple University. Kaasik is a boater and fisherman, and makes his living as a carpenter and furniture maker. He was an environmental columnist for the Shelter Island Reporter. He is married, with one child.

Kaasik said that he is the first person Shelter Island locals and baymen approach to discuss environmental concerns in the Town of Shelter Island. He added that water quality, both in the island’s aquifer and in the surrounding bay, are primary concerns for his campaign. Kaasik, in coordination with other Republican candidates for Shelter Island, has been in contact with Brookhaven National Lab to discuss the treatment of tick-borne Lyme disease as a concern for the town. He said he also wants to encourage the development of community housing in Shelter Island.