And Debate Season Begins
Candidates for East Hampton Town supervisor and town board will meet at the Emergency Services Building on Cedar Street Saturday afternoon for the first of several debates scheduled over the next five weeks.
This one, sponsored by the East Hampton Group for Good Government, is likely to include questions on the airport, deer control, wastewater, code enforcement, and the merits of a town manager, the group’s president, Jeffrey Fisher, said Monday. The debate will start at 2 p.m.
Larry Cantwell, who is running unopposed for town supervisor on the Democratic, Independence, and Working Families lines, will be on hand, as will his Democratic running mates, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Job Potter, and their Republican challengers, Fred Overton and Dominick Stanzione, who also have Independence Party backing.
“The G.G.G. hopes to encourage more residents to take an interest in local issues,” Mr. Fisher said. The debates are “an effective way to educate the public and at the same time bring people from both sides of the aisle together to participate in the electoral process.”
The Group for Good Government, established in 2009, is a nonpartisan group formed to educate its members and the community at large about local issues. Over the past four years, it has held a number of meet-the-candidate events and forums and debates on East Hampton Town and East Hampton School District matters. This year, the group has held forums on wastewater and a town manager.
This election year, “I think there’s a lot of enthusiasm,” Mr. Fisher said.
On Saturday, candidates will answer questions prepared by a committee of the group’s members. There may also be an opportunity for those in the audience to write their own questions for candidates. The meeting will be recorded for later broadcast on LTV.
A number of other debates and candidate forums will follow the Group for Good Government’s event in the coming weeks. On Oct. 20, candidates for East Hampton Town supervisor, town board, town justice, and Suffolk County legislator will be at the Concerned Citizens of Montauk’s meet-the-candidates forum from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Montauk Firehouse. Candidates for East Hampton Town Board and Suffolk County Legislature will also meet at an Oct. 21 League of Women Voters debate to be held at 7 p.m. at the Emergency Services Building in East Hampton.