One Hot Contest Is in Montauk
The race for one seat on the Montauk School Board will see a longtime school board member face a newcomer who already holds a different elected role in Montauk.
Diane Hausman, the president of the school board, has held her seat for nearly 20 years. She has a background in business management as one of the co-owners of the Sands Motel. She was a member of the Montauk Chamber of Commerce for 15 years, including 11 years as an executive board member. Ms. Hausman, 60, has been a full-time resident of the hamlet since 1980. Her son attended the Montauk School, and she has a niece and a nephew attending the school now.
Her challenger, Carmine Marino Jr., is in his seventh year as a fire commissioner in the Montauk Fire District. As such, he said he has helped manage budgets and municipal systems. Mr. Marino, 59, is a 17-year resident of Montauk whose three children attended school locally. He is a retired civil engineer, having worked for more than 31 years with Suffolk County.
Ms. Hausman said she is running to retain her seat to continue helping the community. “My motivation is our students. I just love being involved with the school board,” she said. “I really believe in being part of the solution.”
Mr. Marino said he is running to increase transparency in school operations, to offer residents a choice in school board leadership, to make sure children have up-to-date technology, and to ensure the school facilities are in good condition. “I want to make sure the children’s needs are being met,” he said. “If you don’t have a good environment, you’re not going to learn.”
Ms. Hausman pointed to prekindergarten, character education, and English as a second language programs as points of pride that were developed over the past 20 years. She was also a board member during the school’s expansion in 2000.
Mr. Marino said he hopes to bring fresh ideas to the board. “I really want to be a school board member that is accessible to everybody and will be equally fair to everyone — the students, the staff, and the taxpayers,” he said.
In the Springs School District, Barbara Dayton is the sole candidate running for one seat on the school board. Ms. Dayton said she is running because she cares about the school and also about “the good will between the school and the community.” She is a 16-year resident of Springs, with a son at East Hampton High School and a daughter in seventh grade at the Springs School.
“I want to be there to serve my community. I’m happy to step up to do it,” Ms. Dayton said. “I’m open-minded and fair, and I just want to bring that to the table.”
In Sagaponack and Wainscott, incumbent school board candidates are not facing any challengers.
Joe Louchheim is running for a third term on the Sagaponack School Board. Mr. Louchheim, 50, is the publisher and owner of the Press Newspaper Group. He said he wants to ensure a smooth transition as the school moves from education in grades one through four to kindergarten through third grade. “My kids went there; I went there,” he said, “so I feel a real connection to the place.”
Kelly Anderson, who has worked as a special education teacher in Southampton for the past 20 years, is running for a second term on the Wainscott School Board. Ms. Anderson, 46, is a mother of two who previously attended the Wainscott School. She said she is excited that Wainscott is investing more in technology and personalized learning, but said she is concerned about the proposed affordable housing projects that may be built within the district’s borders. “I definitely have a vested interest in seeing the school continue to operate in the same way it has for generations,” she said.
In Bridgehampton, three incumbent candidates are also running unopposed to retain their seats. Ronald White, the current school board president, Lillian Tyree-Johnson, the current vice president, and Doug DeGroot, another board member, are up for re-election.
Mrs. Tyree-Johnson, 50, is finishing up her second term on the Bridgehampton School Board. She has her own bookkeeping company, is the president of Bridgehampton Community House, and is also active in the Bridgehampton Village Improvement Society. “We have really great things going on,” she said. “I’d like to see us continue, and keep the group together that’s making it stronger.”
Mr. White agreed, saying, “The engine is going very well-oiled right now. I’d like to continue to be a part of that.” Mr. White, 33, is the father of two children, one of whom attends the school. He works in the real estate industry. He is seeking a third term on the school board.
Mr. DeGroot, 57, is also running for a third term on the school board. The president of Hamptons Tennis Company, Mr. DeGroot has two children at the Bridgehampton School. He said he would like to remain involved both as a parent and as a taxpayer of Bridgehampton. “I feel like we have done a lot of good things, including really scouring the budget for savings for the benefit of our taxpayers,” he said.
The school board elections and budget votes will be held on May 19. A story on the candidates for the East Hampton, Amagansett, and Sag Harbor School Boards will appear next week.