Candidates for office in the upcoming East Hampton Village elections will no longer be able to circulate nominating petitions, under an executive order issued on Monday by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo.
In the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, the governor also ordered that any school board, library board, or village election scheduled to take place in April or May be postponed until at least June 1.
The village election for mayor and trustees is scheduled for June 16. In order to be on the ballot, candidates must submit a petition signed by at least 50 residents. While the kick-off date for circulating petitions had been set for Tuesday, all the candidates for mayor — Barbara Borsack, the deputy mayor, Jerry Larsen, the village’s former police chief, and Arthur Graham, a trustee — agreed with the governor’s decision, given the mandate to practice social distancing during the pandemic.
“I was prepared for the petitions, I had emailed people that I was coming, would be wearing gloves, would let them use their own pens, keep my distance; however, I’m just as happy not to have to do that, for everyone’s benefit,” said Ms. Borsack.
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to be doing that now,” said Mr. Larsen, who wasn’t worried about getting 50 signatures in a shortened time frame. “I can do that in a day,” he said.
“This will have no effect on [my] ability to qualify for the ballot in June,” said Mr. Graham.
On Saturday, Mr. Graham, who will run under the banner of the Fishhooks Party, announced his running mate, David Driscoll. Mr. Driscoll, who served in the New York Police Department for 38 years, will be vying for one of two open trustee seats against Ray Harden, Ms. Borsack’s running mate, and Sandra Melendez, Mr. Larsen’s.
Mr. Driscoll said he has been coming to the village since he was 5 years old. “My parents brought me and my siblings to East Hampton in the late ‘50s,” he said in an email announcing his candidacy. “They bought a house in the village, where we spent every summer and holiday.” He purchased the family home six years ago, he said.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mr. Driscoll said he was hesitant to take the focus away from “first-line responders” and others who are helping to keep people safe during the pandemic, but agreed to speak about his reasons for running. “The village has been a huge part of my life, I love this community, and public service,” he said. His career with the N.Y.P.D. prepared him to serve as a trustee, he said, because it instilled in him an ethic of preparedness, organization, and the drive to get results.
He credited Mr. Graham and Rose Brown, a trustee who was Mr. Graham’s running mate in 2018, as the main inspirations for his candidacy. “I’ve seen how enthusiastic they are, and it’s catching.”