O'Brien Takes Bridgehampton Fire Commish Seat

A victor has officially been declared in the Bridgehampton fire commissioner election, with John O'Brien of Sagaponack winning a revote held on Tuesday night.

In a 32-vote spread, Mr. O'Brien received 138 votes, while Philip Cammann of Bridgehampton got 106. Six of the 250 votes cast were not counted toward the tally Tuesday night because those voters were not on the voter rolls, according to Barbara Roesel, the district secretary. Their ballots were put in sealed envelopes to be dealt with at a later time, though the six votes will not be enough to sway the results. 

This was the second election held for the position. It was initially held on Dec. 9, when a single vote separated Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Cammann in Mr. O'Brien's favor.

A close examination of the voter rolls the next day showed that two people living outside the fire district may have cast votes, which led to the vote being completely overturned.

"I want to thank everyone that came out to vote. I look forward to the job," Mr. O’Brien said when reached by phone after the vote. He is a 40-year member and former fire chief of the Bridgehampton Fire Department.

Mr. Cammann, who was at the firehouse waiting for the votes to be counted, said he was disappointed. "Obviously, those six votes won't make a difference," he said. He has run twice before both times in closely contested races. "Good luck to John and the rest of the board of commissioners," he said.

Mr. O'Brien's term is for five years.