Election Debates Get Rough

Negative Messages Heard In Both Towns

The voters in East Hampton and Southampton Towns will go to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday, having been witness to unusually aggressive and negative campaign advertising. Even though the number of civil debates held by community organizations was greater than usual this year, animosity got the upper hand.

In East Hampton, the campaign season is ending on a particularly sour note, with the town Democratic leader threatening to sue his opponents for libel. In Southampton, a candidate for Supervisor has accused the incumbent of masterminding his ex-wife's smear campaign.

Even with such major issues as the widening of the main runway at the East Hampton Town Airport, the proposed transfer of control of waterfront construction to the Trustees, and the management of the town recycling and composting plants, voters have been inundated with campaign literature of an increasingly personal nature.

Voters Guide

An eight-page "voters guide" published by the Town Republican Committee took the angry exchange to a climax last week, and prompted the warning of a lawsuit. This week the town Republican leader, Robert Davis, denied he or the committee had any hand in writing it.

Instead, his predecessor, Perry B. (Chip) Duryea 3d, who remains a committeeman, took credit for the mailing, which went to about 7,000 voters in town.

Deflecting criticism, Mr. Davis was quick to say the Democrats threw the first punch by sending out three mailings, on bright yellow paper, which misrepresented the Republican position on the East Hampton Town Airport, super stores, and preservation of Gardiner's Island.

Question Of Graft

Christopher Kelley, the town Democratic leader, however, said "anything we did that was an attack was based on statements in the record, or positions the candidates took in the past, or the incumbents' job performance. Those are all legitimate." However, he called their mailings "bullshit. Fight me on the issues, disagree with me, but don't accuse my candidates of being immoral or criminal."

Asked about the newsletter, Mr. Duryea said yesterday, "I didn't do the actual writing but I was the one who orchestrated it." He added that East End Republicans, the campaign ccount he controls, would pay for it rather than the committee. He declined to say who had written the text.

The newsletter questions whether Democrats were responsible for "graft" in connection with the East Hampton Housing Authority's apartment complex on Accabonac Highway. It also portrays incumbent Supervisor Cathy Lester as untrustworthy, with a Pinocchio nose that grows progressively larger in seven otherwise identical photos.

Suit Planned

In a statement issued Monday, Mr. Kelley said he planned to sue the Republicans "over lies and innuendo published in the mailing" and would also file a complaint with the County Board of Elections.

Mr. Kelley, who was the Housing Authority's lawyer for many years, said the suit would ask for millions in damages for himself and other as yet-unnamed defendants. They could include Margaret deRouleaux, the former authority chairwoman, and her companion, Stanley Blumenstein. (A letter on the subject from Mr. Blumenstein appears in this issue.)

The newsletter suggested most of $1 million of authority debt went to Mr. Kelley's law firm - Twomey, Latham, Shea & Kelley - and to the project's architect, "who just happened to be affiliated with" Mr. Blumenstein.

Personally Liable?

Mr. Kelley's statement went on to say the Republican Committee was unincorporated and that its members could be held personally liable for any damages. "I hope these people are prepared to hire attorneys, and, for the sake of my kids' college fund, I hope they all have equity in their homes," he said in the statement.

Mr. Duryea shot back, "They're cry babies. They've been lying throughout the campaign and yet they cry when someone calls them on it."

Commenting on the tone of the campaign, Anne Riordan, co-president of the League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, said, "When this happens, the voters get deflected from the issues. Then they're not voting on how their town will be governed the next two years. They're voting on personalities and rumor. . . . Innuendo should have no place in it," she said.

More Control

Mr. Davis said the Republicans had a few subcommittees working on campaign strategy, including one led by Mr. Duryea. In addition, Lona Rubenstein's L.B.L. Associates was hired by a couple of candidates, and Jerry Della Femina's Jerry and Ketchum ad agency in Manhattan created print ads for Thomas Knobel, the Supervisor candidate.

"Maybe there should have been more control from the top. I have had to depend on information from a lot of different people, and it was overwhelming at times. We'll find out Tuesday night whether it worked or not. But, from my experience, there will be definite changes made," he said.

In Southampton, the election campaign was thrown a curve when the Democratic candidate for Supervisor, Arthur DiPietro, was accused of all kinds of wrongdoing by his ex-wife, Helen Parker. In response, he accused his Republican opponent of masterminding his former wife's barrage.

No Single Issue

Supervisor Vincent Cannuscio has denied any involvement in Helen Parker's accusations, which are described in a separate story.

As in East Hampton, there has been no single issue that has crystal