About That Town Board Vacancy

The East Hampton Town Board got down to early 2018 business on Tuesday, doing routine housekeeping and appointing members of various boards and committees. Up soon on their agenda will be choosing someone to fill Peter Van Scoyoc’s councilman’s seat for a year, now that he is supervisor. A special election will be held in November, with the winner serving what would have been the last year of Mr. Van Scoyoc’s term.

Plenty of able candidates might be found among the local Democratic Party ranks to fill the vacancy. Mr. Van Scoyoc and the others on the board are all Democrats, and naming someone from within the family, so to speak, would be an obvious choice. It might not be the right one, however. 

Paul Giardina ran unsuccessfully for town board in November as a Republican and he received 2,464 votes, coming in third behind Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Jeffrey Bragman. Seating him would be a bridge-building nod to his supporters and to party members who now are otherwise left out at Town Hall. 

If voters did not like what they saw in Mr. Giardina by next fall, they could send him on his way. In the meantime, the town would gain a seasoned public official who is not afraid to ask hard questions when hard questions are needed.