Dems Score With East Hampton Independence Party

The East Hampton Independence Party has endorsed three Democrats in the races for town supervisor and town board, following interviews by its screening committee on Monday at Ashawagh Hall in Springs.

The party will back Peter Van Scoyoc, an councilman who is running for supervisor, and the town board candidates, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, an incumbent councilwoman, and Jeffrey Bragman, an attorney who has represented the town's architectural review board, zoning board of appeals, and planning board, as well as applicants before various planning and zoning boards.

The party did not endorse Zachary Cohen, who was among the candidates interviewed. Mr. Cohen, who narrowly lost a bid for supervisor in 2011, is expected to force a primary election to appear on the Democratic Party ballot. Manny Vilar, the Republican Party's candidate for supervisor, was interviewed but did not receive the Independence Party's endorsement, nor did the party's candidates for town board, Jerry Larsen and Paul Giardina, who were also interviewed.

For the nine seats on the East Hampton Town Trustees, the Independence Party chose five Republicans and four Democrats. On the Republican side are Diane McNally, an incumbent and the trustees' former longtime clerk; Joe Bloecker, a former trustee; and Susan Vorpahl, Lyndsey Hayes, and Gary Cobb, all making their first bid.

The party endorsed Rick Drew and Bill Taylor, both Democratic incumbents and the trustees' two deputy clerks; as well as John Aldred, a new candidate, and Rona Klopman. Ms. Klopman is a former candidate and was added to the Democrats' ticket after Tyler Armstrong, a first-term trustee, announced that he would not seek re-election.

The Independence Party also endorsed Eugene DePasquale, the incumbent assessor and a Democrat; East Hampton Town Justice Steven Tekulsky, a Democrat; Steven Lynch, the incumbent highway superintendent and a Republican, and Carole Brennan, the town clerk, who is not affiliated with a party.

"It was a difficult decision to choose from the many qualified candidates that screened," Elaine Jones and Pat Mansir, the party's chairwoman and vice chairwoman, wrote in a statement, "but we believe that we chose those who would work to keep East Hampton the beautiful town that it is."