East Hampton Justice

In the race for East Hampton Town Justice, the way the candidates have spoken of each other in debate is disheartening and the pluses and minuses of their other attributes would seem to cancel each other out.

Both Catherine Cahill and Robert Savage have impressive backgrounds in the court system as assistant district attorneys. Justice Cahill has several strikes against her this time around from persons who found her actions on the bench questionable. Of course, the same might be true if Mr. Savage had been the one elected two years ago. We don't know if any of the accounts of poor judgment involving Ms. Cahill are legitimate, but they are there.

Ms. Cahill is a Springs School parent, who is said to understand the problems of youngsters who frequent the court. We honestly cannot judge which of the candidates would serve justice better. Ms. Cahill showed open hostility during our interview, while Mr. Savage is less confrontational. But they are seemingly cut from the same cloth, agreeing on alternative sentencing.

While we'd usually be guided by the premise that if candidates are doing good jobs they should be re-elected, we find the Cahill-Savage race a tossup.