Having received the unanimous support of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez will lead the Democrats’ 2023 ticket as its pick for town supervisor. The East Hampton Town Republican Committee has selected Gretta Leon, a newcomer to town politics, to run against Ms. Burke-Gonzalez.
From among 26 “excellent and qualified community member candidates,” the Democratic committee said in an announcement on Sunday, it also selected David Lys, an incumbent councilman, and Thomas Flight, a business owner who is now serving on the Montauk School Board, to run for two seats on the town board. Ms. Burke-Gonzalez is in her third four-year term as councilwoman and her third year as deputy town supervisor.
Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Councilwoman Sylvia Overby, both Democrats, announced in January that they are not seeking re-election.
After saying Monday afternoon that the East Hampton Republican Committee would meet to officially select its candidates tomorrow, Manny Vilar, its chairman, told The Star on Monday night that it had selected Ms. Leon as its supervisor candidate and Scott Smith of East Hampton and Michael Wootton of Wainscott as its town board candidates.
“This slate brings with it innovation, experience, and a deep understanding of the community, which we need to move forward,” Mr. Vilar said yesterday. “East Hampton cannot continue to do the same old, tired things with zero results.”
“Quite a few” people screened before the G.O.P. committee, Mr. Vilar said, with its four executive officers making the selections before the committee formally meets tomorrow.
“It was a typical candidate screening process,” Mr. Vilar said, adding that he is planning to put out a formal announcement tomorrow.
“East Hampton government has experienced stagnation and the lack of critical thinking that is typical of one-party rule that has failed our seniors, first responders, town employees, children, and environment,” Mr. Vilar said in a statement yesterday morning. “East Hampton needs fresh ideas and not a repeat of the same old playbook that is decades old and has not produced an original positive outcome in years.”
In a lengthy announcement of their own on Sunday, the East Hampton Democrats said that among those screening for the town board seats, four other people emerged as strong finalists: Kathy Cunningham, chairwoman of the town’s architectural review board; Perry Gershon, who ran against Lee Zeldin in the First Congressional District in 2018; East Hampton Village Mayor Jerry Larsen, and Barbara Layton, a former village business owner who has long been involved in Democratic politics. Mr. Larsen is now in his first term as mayor of East Hampton Village.
For the town trustees, the East Hampton Democrats endorsed several incumbents: Francis Bock, Bill Taylor, John Aldred, Ben Dollinger, Tim Garneau, and David Cataletto, who are registered Democrats; Jim Grimes, a registered Republican who has had cross-party support multiple times, and two newcomers, Patrice Dalton and Celia Josephson. Although these nine candidates are running for the trustee seats, the 2023 election marks the first time that staggered terms will be implemented based upon where the votes fall. Four-year terms will be assigned to the five candidates who get the most votes, while the next four successful candidates will serve two-year terms. In 2025, the second four seats will be on the ballot as four-year terms.
David Filer will run for town justice after a competitive screening process that saw five “accomplished candidates” state their cases. Steve Lynch has been endorsed once again for highway superintendent, and Jeanne Nielsen and Jill Massa for the town assessor seats.
“I want to thank our members for their dedicated commitment to this important aspect of our job,” Anna Skrenta, chairwoman of the East Hampton Democratic Committee, said in a statement. “This was truly an exhaustive process and the committee worked so well together to make it a success.”
The Republican committee has not yet announced its candidates for the town trustees, assessors, town justice, and highway superintendent.
In accepting the nomination, Ms. Burke-Gonzalez told her fellow party members that she “will proudly head the Democratic ticket that you have assembled today, a ticket of caring, accomplished, and thoughtful leaders, a ticket that will govern with courage, empathy, and a great deal of common sense.” She was the only one screening for the supervisor’s seat.
She later continued, “Now you can expect from all of us a robust and rigorous campaign. As we will campaign just like we govern — tirelessly, compassionately, and truthfully. Because David, Tom, and I will be laser-focused on honoring and strengthening our families, our neighborhoods, our diverse cultures and customs, and our natural environment.”
Mr. Lys said serving on the town board has been “the honor and privilege of a lifetime,” and that the committee has built “a diverse and proven slate that will unite under a strong campaign and continue to work toward producing results for the community that match the Democratic committee’s values and principles.”
Mr. Flight, a 14-year resident of Montauk, said he is “honored and grateful” to have been chosen by his fellow Democrats in East Hampton. “If elected as a town board member in November, I believe I can help make significant improvements to the lives of our residents, and ensure that our incredible environment and community character is protected for the future. I am hard-working, capable, forward-thinking and I thank you for the trust you have placed in me. This trust is not an entitlement; it is an immense responsibility that I shall work tirelessly to deliver upon.”
In the announcement, Ms. Skrenta outlined how the process worked. For each of the town’s 19 election districts — including nearly 10,000 registered Democrats from Wainscott to Montauk — two representatives serve on the committee, and as a group, they vote to select candidates from among those who screened.
The committees’ choices are not necessarily guaranteed to appear on the November ballot, as it is still possible that other candidates could file petitions for a primary election. However, having the support of an established party means boots-on-the-ground support in petitioning and campaigning.
On Monday, Mr. Vilar described the town Democrats’ slate as “very nice people.” However, he said that to make progress in East Hampton, “it’s going to require innovation, thinking outside the box, and bringing in people who have a true, vested interest in the community, which is what we are going to do.”
“We are looking forward to a robust campaign that will offer real solutions to benefit all of East Hampton and not a chosen few that can afford to buy their government,” Mr. Vilar said.
With Reporting by Tom Gogola
