Democrats Tap Potter And (Surprise!) Grenci

The East Hampton Town Democratic Committee completed this year's town election picture at its annual convention yesterday, nominating Job Potter of Amagansett and Lisa Grenci of Montauk to run for Town Board and Cathy Lester to seek re-election as Supervisor.

The Democrats last night also nominated a full slate of Town Trustee candidates and backed the Democratic incumbents - Town Justice Catherine Cahill, Town Clerk Fred Yardley, and Town Highway Superintendent Christopher Russo - for the upcoming November elections.

Though Mr. Potter, a four-year member of the Town Planning Board, had been an expected pick for a Town Board seat, the nomination of Ms. Grenci represents an interesting twist on the ticket.

Registered Republican

Ms. Grenci, an activist with Montauk causes such as the Stop the Ferry Group, Tuthill Road Association, and the Concerned Citizens of Montauk, is a registered Republican, long associated with the local party.

During the turmoil within the town G.O.P. surrounding the 1995 elections, Ms. Grenci even ran for a seat on the Town Republican Committee - with the goal of unseating its chairman, Perry (Chip) Duryea 3d.

Deciding to seek a Town Board seat this year, Ms. Grenci first approached the Republicans. Her disputes with the Duryea family over the closure of Tuthill Road and, more recently, the Duryeas' plans to expand their restaurant and seafood business, rendered her an unlikely pick, however, for the G.O.P. She screened with the committee, but was turned down.

A separate story involving Ms. Grenci and Mr. Duryea appears on the back page.

Switching Parties

"I had planned on screening with the Democrats," Ms. Grenci said yesterday, "but before that, I wanted to settle things with the Republicans. . . . Obviously I wasn't going to get in, but I was going through the motions." Ms. Grenci sent out her form this week to switch her registration to Democratic.

"It's not uncommon for people to switch, when they discover their party isn't in sync with what they believe in," said Christopher Kelley, town Democratic chairman, who gave Supervisor Lester as an example. Ms. Lester was originally a Republican.

Mr. Kelley said that the committee was looking for someone to represent Montauk and liked Ms. Grenci's activism in environmental and civic groups there. Montauk representation became an issue in the 1995 election, with both the G.O.P. and the Democrats running candidates from the hamlet. Roberta Gosman Donovan, who ran unsuccessfully on the Democratic line, had been a possible pick to run again.

Ms. Grenci, the wife of Town Police Officer Tom Grenci, works as a real estate broker with Blue Bay Realty in Amagansett. A mother of two, she also runs Montauk Home Surveillance, a 30-year-old house-watching service in Montauk.

In a written statement about her candidacy, she said her goal was "to be a voice for environmentalists, locals, and blue-collar workers and for Montauk in general."

Ms. Grenci announced yesterday that she would step down as president of C.C.O.M., saying, "I don't want to mix the business of protecting the environment with politics." She will be replaced by the current vice president, Bill Akin, as acting president.

The Democrats' other nominee for Town Board, Job Potter, is no stranger to the political realm, having twice run for a seat on the Town Trustees. In his four years on the Town Planning Board, Mr. Potter has taken firm stands in favor of environmental protection and open space preservation. He said he would seek to do the same with a seat on the Town Board.

"I really think I've reached the point where I have something to contribute to town government," he said yesterday.

He elaborated in a written statement to the press. "As interesting, rewarding, and frustrating as the Planning Board can be, it is largely a reactive body, more like a panel of judges. I am eager to move up to the Town Board, where the future can be shaped," he said.

Property taxes and development pressures, Mr. Potter said, were crucial issues in this election and in the near future. "I see future home density as a critical threat to the town's well-being, with the cost to cap or mine the landfill as the greatest economic threat," Mr. Potter said. He said he "strongly" supported the town's upzoning plans.

Fiscal Matters

If elected, Mr. Potter said he would focus on fiscal matters such as the town landfill, and planning and environmental issues such as groundwater protection, creating affordable housing, and streamlining the planning review process.

A real-estate appraiser with Clark and Marshall Appraisers in East Hampton, Mr. Potter is the father of two. He lives at the Stony Hill Farm on Town Lane, Amagansett, and has been involved in dividing his family's large holdings in the area, preserving significant amounts of farmland through the Peconic Land Trust in the process.

Majority At Stake

Mr. Kelley said the two candidates, along with Supervisor Lester, make for "an outstanding ticket. We're delighted to have two very vibrant young people, one from Montauk, one from Amagansett. . . . Both bring an interesting combination of knowledge in real estate and business and also the environment."

Mr. Potter and Ms. Grenci will be running for two Town Board openings. Town Councilman Thomas Knobel is leaving his seat to run for Supervisor against the incumbent, Ms. Lester, and Councilwoman Nancy McCaffrey is running to keep the seat she has held for two terms. The G.O.P. held its convention two weeks ago.

At stake in this year's election is the Republican majority on the Town Board. With the election two years ago of Councilman Knobel and Councilman Len Bernard, the G.O.P. won its first majority on the board in 14 years.

G.O.P. Actions

The majority has used its regained power by voting to reorganize the Town Natural Resources Department, effecting changes at the town's recycling center, attempting to give the Town Trustees more authority, and appointing Republicans to several key positions.

Mr. Kelley said the Democrats' campaign would "address what we consider the arrogance of the Republican majority." He pointed to the majority's attempts to relocate Ms. Lester from her office at Town Hall.

"Can you imagine if we had tried to kick Mary Fallon out of her office?" he asked, referring to the town's last Republican Supervisor.

The majority's plans to grant more power to the traditionally Republican Town Trustees would be a key issue in the campaign, Mr. Kelley predicted.

"Power Grab"

"They're not happy with the Town Board majority, now they're trying to set up a shadow government," he said, calling the proposal a "power grab."

The Democrats have fared poorly in recent Town Trustee elections, gaining only one seat in the past several years. The holder of that seat, Harold Bennett of Amagansett, will run again.

The other Democratic nominees for Trustee this year are Richard Lester of Amagansett, a bayman; Frank Kennedy of Springs, the town code enforcement officer and former town harbormaster; Mary Gardiner of East Hampton; Pete Kromer of Amagansett, a bayman; Martin Bennett of Amagansett, office manager of Miller Fuel; Barry Leach of East Hampton, an air traffic controller at Islip Airport; Rick Rozos of East Hampton, an attorney and a Democratic Committeeman, and Eric Brown of East Hampton, an attorney whose family owns the John Papas Cafe and a Democratic Committeeman.

Overton A Shoo-In

The Democrats have renominated all their incumbents in other positions. The Town Clerk, Fred Yardley, will run against the G.O.P. nominee, Edwina Cook, a Wainscott accountant, in a bid to retain his seat.

Town Administrative Justice Catherine Cahill will vie to keep her seat against Robert Savage, the town attorney, and the Town Highway Superintendent Christopher Russo will run for a second time against the Republican nominee, James Bennett.

The Democrats did not choose a candidate to challenge the Town Assessor Fred Overton, a Republican who is seeking his third term.