Armstrong Drops Out of Trustee Race

Tyler Armstrong, an East Hampton Town trustee who recently received the Democratic Committee's nod to run for a second term, announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election in November, but will complete his term, which expires at year's end.

Mr. Armstrong was arrested on drunken driving charges in the early morning hours of April 29. He was arraigned later in the morning and his driver's license was suspended. According to a police report, he had been going 62 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone on Cedar Street, and had been swerving across the road.

Mr. Armstrong was among the five incumbent Democratic trustees that were to seek re-election. The Democratic Committee had recommended him for its nine-person 2017 trustee slate the day before his arrest.

"I was somewhat on the fence about running for re-election from the beginning," Mr. Armstrong said Tuesday. "I really felt like a lot of people are very supportive of what I'm doing and want to see me go on. That was a lot of my impetus for wanting to run. But . . . I don't feel fully ready to sign up for another two years now. . . . I don't know that I want to keep dealing with the stress level of it. I love doing it, it makes me feel fulfilled and feel like I'm doing good, but over all I think it's better for my own personal well-being to step back and evaluate everything."

A letter to the editor about his decision was delivered after the deadline and will appear in the May 18 issue of The Star. In it, Mr. Armstrong characterized town government as being tarnished by a climate of negativity.

Those statements did not refer specifically to the relationship between the trustees, he said by phone Tuesday. Instead, he said, "It's basically the feeling that when you're elected to anything, no matter what you do, somebody's going to get mad at you. I know there are certain people who don't necessarily like me and don't want to see me succeed. It does get to you. It really adds to the stress a lot. Most of it is the idea that whatever you say or do, somebody's going to get back at you. That's hard to deal with, long-term."

In a statement last week, Mr. Armstrong addressed his arrest, writing that he was "handling it seriously and will make it up to the community however I can. We have many important things to work for and to protect here, traditions to preserve and progress to be made. I will continue to serve our town in my fullest capacity, and continue to strive to achieve my goals."

The East Hampton Town Democratic Committee will hold its nominating convention on May 17. The committee's April 28 statement referred to a "very competitive selection process for trustee positions," with more potential candidates interviewed than could be accommodated. On Tuesday, Jeanne Frankl, the committee's co-chairwoman, said only that "Our screening committee will have a replacement" for Mr. Armstrong.