The citizens group Montauk United is sponsoring the first campaign event in East Hampton Town’s 2023 election season, a candidates forum on Sunday from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Montauk Firehouse.
Joe Gaviola and Rori Finazzo will moderate the forum, which is to include the candidates for supervisor, Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, a Democrat, and Gretta Leon, a Republican, as well as for town board, Councilman David Lys and Tom Flight, Democrats, and Scott Smith and Michael Wootton, Republicans.
Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Councilwoman Sylvia Overby announced earlier this year that they would not seek re-election.
Sunday will mark the first time in a decade that a candidates forum will be held at the firehouse, said Rav Freidel, who is organizing it with Tom Bogdan of Montauk United and Joe Bloecker, a former town trustee.
Candidates will make opening statements, Mr. Freidel said, and questions submitted by Montauk-based organizations will be put to them. Additional questions submitted ahead of the forum by those attending will be drawn at random.
“We’re trying to cover as many topics as we can in the time permitted,” he said. “If we can focus on Montauk issues at the Montauk Firehouse, it will be music to my ears.”
Election Day is Nov. 7, and early voting takes place from Oct. 28 through Nov. 5. Oct. 23 is the deadline to request an absentee ballot from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Also on the ballot in East Hampton Town this year are candidates for Suffolk County executive and the Suffolk Legislature’s Second District, town justice, the nine town trustees, two tax assessors, and the superintendent of highways.
