About the Trustees

When the voting results come in on Tuesday, East Hampton residents might want to take note of the town trustee results. With all nine seats on the trustee board in play, only the most well informed among us would have been able to make a well-reasoned choice. This means that the members of one of the town’s important protectors of the environment, as well as of traditional pursuits, would have been selected on Bonacker name recognition or party affiliation alone. We suggest that readers watch closely to see if candidates who did not campaign at all or who did not respond to requests for interviews or if those with terrible attendance records make the cut.

• RELATED: Trustee Candidate Profiles

If so, the answer is clear: The election of trustees, who now all have two-year terms, should be staggered in some way to allow for improved public engagement. One idea would be for this year’s top four vote-get- ters to receive four-year terms, with the remaining five, those who polled less well, being elected to two-year terms. Perhaps there are other ways to mix things up as well. What will almost certainly be obvious once the votes are counted is that something should change. Democracy means participation; the way trustees are elected now defies that noble intent.

• RELATED: This week's Letters to the Editor about the trustees