Mayor’s, Two Board Seats Up for Grabs

Petitions are circulating in Sag Harbor Village once again, ahead of the June election for mayor and two village board positions.

Brian Gilbride, who has served as mayor for six years and has been on the board since 1994, said this week that he will not seek re-election.

“I’ve been on the board 21 years — I’ve never missed a meeting,” Mr. Gilbride said. But now he wants more time to travel down South to see his grandchildren, who are in college. He spent this past weekend at an awards ceremony for his granddaughter who plays field hockey for the University of Richmond. “That don’t mean I’m going away forever,” he joked.

  Two village board members are stepping up for the position of mayor. Sandra Schroeder, who is halfway through her first term on the board, and Robert Stein, who has been on the board for six years, both said they plan to run.

“I have my signs all ready,” Ms. Schroeder said. She worked for the village for 23 years, retiring as clerk in 2010. She ran for mayor two years ago and lost to Mr. Gilbride by 11 votes in a four-way race. Last year, she was elected to the board for a two-year term.

“I’ve always wanted to do this, since when I started working for the village,” Ms. Schroeder said. She and Mr. Stein have met about the election and are supportive of each other over all, she said. They agree on many issues, such as the need to take a look at the village’s residential zoning code.

“I think I understand government better — I’ve been there longer,” she said when asked what made her a better candidate.

Mr. Stein, a children’s psychotherapist, said he offers a different perspective. “I feel like I’m outside of what has been the village operant for a long time,” he said, adding that the time is right for him to move up before he turns his attention to other projects in the future, like writing. He wants to develop a long-term plan for the village and “not patchwork it as we have been.”

The two other board members, Ed Deyermond and Ken O’Donnell, said this week that they will seek re-election. Mr. Deyermond, a retired assessor who worked for the Town of Southampton most recently, rejoined the board in July 2013. He had served as mayor between 2003 and 2006.

Mr. O’Donnell, who owns La Superica restaurant in the village, is finishing his first two-year term on the board. “I would say the first 12 months, I was trying to figure out how it all works. It takes one full cycle,” he said yesterday. “Now I’m kind of feeling like I’ve got the hang of how municipal government works.”

Petitions are still available and can be turned in as early as May 5. They must be submitted by May 12. The election will be held at the Sag Harbor Firehouse on June 16 from noon to 9 p.m.