November Big Match: Knobel Versus Lester?

With their conventions a few months off, the East Hampton Town Democratic and Republican Committees have begun their search for residents interested in running for town office.

Sifting through names of the qualified and willing, the Republicans have so far come up with two that are more familiar in Southampton Town Hall.

Edward Deyermond, Southampton's appointed head assessor, confirmed last week he is considering a run for the East Hampton Town Board, possibly for Supervisor. Brian Gilbride, who was ousted in the fall as head of sanitation, said he too has been approached, to run for Highway Superintendent.

Both men live on the East Hampton side of Sag Harbor Village and are members of the Sag Harbor Village Board.

Sixteen Vacancies

Every two years, 16 town positions fall vacant. This year, they are Supervisor, two Town Board members, Town Clerk, Highway Superintendent, one Justice, one Assessor, and all nine Trustees.

Eleven of the 16 jobs to be voted on are now held by Republicans.

The Republican town leader, Perry B. (Chip) Duryea 3d, said his party, boosted by its majority position, is finding no shortage of interested residents.

The process of screening prospective candidates may move along so swiftly that the committee could hold its convention in the first week of June, he said, a month earlier than usual.

Incumbent Democrats

The Democrats are keeping their plans a little closer to the vest, although one insider thought they too were looking for an early convention.

The party's leader, Christopher Kelley, declined to discuss specifics, saying only that the Democrats would run their five incumbents: Supervisor Cathy Lester, Town Clerk Fred Yardley, Highway Superintendent Christopher Russo, Justice Cathy Cahill, and Trustee Harold Bennett.

"No one seems dissatisfied with their job," said Mr. Kelley, adding that neither did anyone on the committee seem dissatisfied with the job any of the incumbents are doing.

He said a subcommittee was screening prospective candidates, especially for the two Town Board seats now occupied by Councilman Thomas Knobel and Councilwoman Nancy McCaffrey, both Republicans. It has not yet begun screening for Trustee candidates, though.

G.O.P. Eyes Sag Harbor

The Republicans, who already have a long-standing stronghold in Montauk, are expected to zero in on Sag Harbor this year, where they are outnumbered.

Hence the interest in Mr. Deyermond, Mr. Gilbride, and in the G.O.P.'s 1995 Highway Superintendent hopeful, James Bennett.

Mr. Bennett came closer to ousting Mr. Russo, who was elected by wide margins four times and who ran unopposed in 1993, than previous contenders.

One committeewoman said that should Mr. Bennett want another shot at Mr. Russo's job, Mr. Gilbride could be invited to take the ninth Trustee spot.

Gilbride Likes A Fight

Mr. Gilbride confirmed he was approached "by a few people."

"It's not something I'm chasing after, but a good fight never hurt anybody," he said, adding he has not worked since November. "I'mspending time with my family," he said. He was fired last autumn from his $60,000-a-year job after six years as sanitation chief and a total 26 years on the Southampton payroll.

The Southampton Town Board said the firing was part of its plan to overcome a department deficit, exacerbated by the disappearance of $86,000 worth of trash bags the town sells for recycling and $8,000 from a safe that was found pried open. Mr. Gilbride was not implicated in the thefts.

For Town Trustee

There are eight East Hampton Town Trustee seats now held by Republicans. The lone Democrat, Harold Bennett, has been scouting out fellow candidates, and the name of Frank Kennedy, a town code enforcement officer, has been mentioned.

His predecessor, Anita Miller, will reportedly be interviewed by the Republicans. Ms. Miller quit her code enforcement job suddenly last year.

Democratic organizers are said to be once again trying to recruit Roberta Gosman, a Planning Board member and well-known restaurateur from Montauk, to run for Town Board.

She came within a handful of votes of taking the seat held this past year by Councilman Len Bernard, whose 1995 win gave the G.O.P. its first Town Board majority in a dozen years.

Knobel Seeks Top Spot

And, Job Potter, a fellow Planning Board member who made two unsuccessful bids for Trustee on the Democratic ticket, has reportedly been interviewed for a Town Board slot.

Mr. Duryea said that all 11 Republican incumbents were welcome to run again, confirming that Councilwoman McCaffrey is interested in a third term.

The party leader confirmed that Councilman Knobel was interested in the nomination for Supervisor.

"Tom is held in high regard and wherever he decides to place his political eggs, he will be given due consideration," said Mr. Duryea.

He noted, however, that Mr. Knobel won his board seat in 1993 by an impressive margin and said the Councilman might "have an edge as an incumbent" for that job that he might not have for Supervisor.

Deyermond May Run

Mr. Deyermond was one of East Hampton's three elected Assessors for 12 years, but left in 1990 for an appointed job as Southampton's sole assessor.

He was recently given an additional six years on the job. He earns about the same there as he would as Supervisor, but at least $20,000 a year more than he would as a Councilman.

"I'm considering it," Mr. Deyermond said. "It's something I've always wanted to do. This may or may not be the right time."

He added that if he decided to run, it would be a quality-of-life decision: "It certainly wouldn't be for the other thing," the money.

Republican Majority

In assessing the various prospects, Mr. Duryea said he was looking at "the ongoing record of the Town Board majority to date" and the willingness of candidates "to fall in line with our overall philosophy: streamlining government, cutting costs, and redirecting personnel to make things more efficient."

"Ed certainly has that track record," said Mr. Duryea, noting Mr. Deyermond was known in East Hampton for working easily with Democrats and Republicans alike and for modernizing the assessors' office.

The five-member Town Board has been dominated by its three Republicans for 13 highly contentious months. During that time the majority has rolled back the recycling program, appointed supporters to various boards and jobs at Town Hall, and restructured various departments.

For Town Justice

One of their first moves was to name as town attorney Robert Savage, who had run unsuccessfully the year before for Town Justice. Friends said at the time of Mr. Savage's appointment that he was clear about his desire for a second chance at the bench, but he declined to confirm or deny that for The Star.

Last week, a Republican committeeman said Mr. Savage and Robert Kouffman, who founded the Town Independence Party Committee and shortly after stepped down as its chairman, would both be screened as Justice candidates.

Mr. Kouffman is a former East Hampton Village prosecutor who sought the Republican nomination before joining the Independence Party. He has a private practice in East Hampton, as does Mr. Savage, a former assistant district attorney.