Montauker to Take Town Planning Post
The East Hampton Town Board filled a vacancy on the planning board this week, appointing Nancy Keeshan of Montauk, a real estate broker. The position has been open since September, when John P. Lycke, the former chairman of the board who also lives in Montauk, resigned unexpectedly.
Ms. Keeshan, who said she had no political affiliation, will round out the seven-member board. A partner with her father, John, in the Montauk firm Keeshan Real Estate, she also is president of the Montauk Village Association. She is the second appointment to the planning board by the Wilkinson administration in Town Hall, following the appointment of Reed Jones, an East Hampton insurance agent, in January.
“I was honored to be asked,” Ms. Keeshan said yesterday, explaining that she and Supervisor Wilkinson had a long friendship. “He asked if I would help out,” she said, noting that she has lived in Montauk all her life and knows the hamlet well. She cited a desire to serve the people of the community, and to “make it possible for future generations to enjoy Montauk.”
Members of the planning board serve for seven years, but Ms. Keeshan’s appointment is only for the remainder of Mr. Lycke’s term, which expires in 2014. She then could be appointed to a full term.
In Mr. Lycke’s absence, the planning board has been headed by Robert Schaeffer of Wainscott, the board’s vice chairman. There are no meetings scheduled until the new year, when the town board will again have the opportunity to appoint a new member to the planning board or reappoint Sylvia Overby. Ms. Overby, a Democrat who has often voiced opposition to the actions of the Republican majority on the town board, has been the longest-serving board member since Mr. Lycke’s resignation. Her term expires at the end of the month.
Town board members will also decide at the start of the year who will take the top spot on the board. Along with Mr. Jones and Mr. Schaeffer, Ms. Keeshan will serve with Peter Van Scoyoc, Patrick Schutte, and Eileen Catalano. All were all appointed by the prior, Democratic administration.
The Montauk Village Association is a nonprofit organization that advocates for the acquisition of land, beaches, and structures for public use. It also maintains the flowers along Main Street and Kirk Park.