Earlier this month, longtime Southold Town Councilman Al Krupski announced to members of his local Democratic party that he is running for a seat on the Suffolk County Legislature, a seat recently left empty by Ed Romaine, who won the race for Brookhaven Town Supervisor on Election Night.

And after weeks of speculation on who would be the GOP candidate to face Krupski in the race, Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter announced this week that he earned the nod as the Republican nominee for the First Legislative District seat.

With his eight years of experience on the Southold Town Board and a lifetime of farming on the North Fork, Krupski said he believes he’s seasoned enough to spread his wings and get things done at the county level.

“There are so many issues of land preservation and dredging and maintenance of our local waterways that is taken care of by the county,” he said. “I think it’s important to have that kind of balance of representation in the legislature.”

Walter, who is running on the Republican and Conservative tickets, touted his experience as Riverhead's supervisor, as opposed to "someone who just sits as a town board member. Being the CEO of a town, as much as anyone really can be, is a different task."

County Conservative Party Chairman Ed Walsh said of Walter, who is Riverhead Town's former Conservative Party chairman: "I think he's perfect for that northeast end of Long Island. With economy and jobs being priority number one, I think his executive experience will help a lot."

With a special election for the seat coming up in January or February, Patch wants to know who you would like to see take Ed Romaine’s place at the county level and why.