For East Hampton voters who want to educate themselves about their choices next month, three big candidate forums are scheduled in the coming week and another that already happened can be seen on LTV or online.

    The Concerned Citizens of Montauk will host its annual meet-the-candidates event on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Montauk Firehouse.

    Candidates for County Legislature, the Republican Cornelius Kelly and the incumbent Jay Schneiderman, an Independence Party member also running on the Democratic ticket, will speak first, followed by the town supervisor candidates, Bill Wilkinson, the Republican incumbent, and Zach Cohen, his Democratic challenger.

    Additional remarks will be heard by the six town board candidates, Democrats Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc, Republicans Steven Gaines and Richard Haeg, and the Independence Party’s Marilyn Behan and Bill Mott. Also speaking will be the town justice candidates, the Democrat Stephen Grossman and Lisa R. Rana, the Republican incumbent; town assessor candidates, Jill Massa, Republican, and Jeanne Nielsen, Democrat, both incumbents; and superintendent of highways candidates, the Democratic incumbent, Scott King, and his Republican challenger, Stephen Lynch. One representative from the Democratic and Republican Parties will also will also speak on behalf of the slate of trustee candidates.

    Finally, there will be a 20-minute question-and-answer period for all the candidates from the audience.

    On Monday at 7 p.m., the Springs Citizens Advisory Committee will hold an all-candidates debate at Ashawagh Hall in Springs and next Thursday, the Village Preservation Society of East Hampton will host a town board candidates debate at 4:30 p.m. at LTV Studios in Wainscott. It will be shown live on LTV 20.

    A League of Women Voters debate from Monday night, which featured candidates for Suffolk County Legislature and East Hampton supervisor and town board, can be seen in its entirety on LTV Channel 20 on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. The town board portion of the debate will be aired again on Sunday at 2 p.m., and the legislator and supervisor portions can be seen that night at 10:30.

    The debate can also be seen online at www.ltveh.org.  

    Campaign disclosure reports for mid-July through early October from the East Hampton Independence Party and the East Hampton Conservators, both of which were not posted to the New York State Board of Elections Web site last week, showed modest fund-raising for both groups during the period.

    The East Hampton Conservators, a political action committee that raised nearly $60,000 in the first half of 2011, reported only $300 in contributions since then.

    “We don’t fund-raise continually throughout the year,” said David Doty, the Conservators’ treasurer. “We only fund-raise when it’s most effective or as we view the need. In this particular filing period, we did not fund-raise.”

    The Conservators also reported $16,254 in expenses during that period, including a $5,000 donation to Campaign 2011, the Democrats’ campaign committee, as well as $6,000 to Mullen and McCaffrey Communications, a marketing and public relations company in East Hampton. More than $2,600 was spent on print advertising, which Mr. Doty said was designed to educate the public about protecting East Hampton beaches.

    “We are making a statement on what we believe should be happening in the town beyond any particular election cycle,” he said. “These are issues that have risen to the top of the heap for our mission.”

    There was also $1,700 spent on postage for mailings sent out to the Conservators’ supporters, offering information on local environmental issues. The PAC also sent out a letter encouraging second-home owners to register to vote to protect their property and their interests.

    “We are now in the fund-raising mode. We have begun since the end of this reporting period, and you will see some results from that in the next round of submissions,” Mr. Doty said. “The motivating factor in the next part of the year will be the upcoming elections.”

    The Conservators, who have endorsed the Democratic slate in East Hampton Town, closed the period with $24,657 in the bank.

    The East Hampton Independence Party, which is running two of its own candidates for town board, Marilyn Behan and Bill Mott, had $1,300 in the bank at the beginning of October.

    Although Supervisor Bill Wilkinson is also running on the Independence Party line, he was not the local party’s choice.

    ‘We don’t fund-raise continually throughout the year.’

— David Doty

    The party raised $4,200 since mid-July with its largest individual donation, $1,000 coming from Sag Harbor Mayor Brian Gilbride. Eugene and Lucille Garypie, also from Sag Harbor, each gave $500, and Pat Mansir of East Hampton donated $460.

    The Independence Party reported $2,836 in spending, with more than $2,200 spent on print ads.

    “The Independence Party doesn’t get as many big donations,” said Elaine Jones, its chairwoman. “But we get a lot of little donations from people and it all adds up.”

    Ms. Jones said that while the donations to the party have been modest, she believes that this aligns with how the candidates wanted to structure their campaigns.

    “We decided from the beginning that we weren’t going to have big, hundred-dollar parties where we couldn’t involve everybody. We wanted to have events where anyone could come like the ice cream social or the ‘have-a-slice-on-us’ event at Felix’s.”

    Ms. Jones believes that despite having a significantly smaller budget than the Republicans and Democrats, the Independence Party has achieved a fair amount of visibility in the local political sphere, especially in regards to advertising, and that the momentum only continues to grow as the election draws closer every day.

    “It’s one thing about campaigning, you’re going every single day. You’re constantly on the go,” she said. “But I have to say, it’s been a nice campaign with good people.”

    Ms. Jones echoed Mr. Doty’s sentiments that the next filing period will reveal additional monetary support streaming in from future fund-raisers, including a “Clam, Cocktails, and Candidates” party at Ashawagh Hall next Thursday.

    Despite an exhausting campaigning schedule and the recent “nerve-racking” public debates, Sylvia Overby, a Democratic candidate for East Hampton Town Board, remains buoyant, meeting every election challenge with a smile and the determination to fight for East Hampton’s quality of life.

    While Ms. Overby’s community involvement dates back to 1994, she admits she was surprised by the intensity of the campaign process.

    “It’s so stressful to put yourself out there for the world to decide on you,” she said Monday. “And in reality, it involves more than just you — it involves your family and your friends.” When asked when she decided for sure to run for office she said, “It’s always a big leap. I don’t think anybody is ever sure. It’s daunting and it’s personal and it’s emotional.”

    A Floridian by birth, Ms. Overby described her inaugural visit to East Hampton as “love at first sight.”

    She says that her husband, who hails from Huntington, had always praised the beauty of the area, but she was skeptical until he finally drove her out to see it for herself. She decided almost immediately that she wanted to live here. They built a house in 1984, but only summered here, dividing their time between Amagansett and Atlanta, where they met, until 1994 when they moved here full time.

    “I think one of the capturing moments was the thought that this [place] doesn’t have a mall,” she smiled. “It’s such a relief from all the asphalt. I think [Amagansett] feels like a much happier place. It feels right.”

    She soon got involved with the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee, and served as its chairwoman for six years.

    “There were a lot of issues during that time,” she said. “The farmers market was trying to expand, people were looking for a grocery store somewhere — there were a lot of pressures for development and I wanted to make sure that the community reacted with everybody’s voice. And that’s what these C.A.C.s allow people to do.” The committee had members from all political parties, but they all agreed about the right direction for the town, she said.

    When the town undertook an update of its comprehensive plan, Ms. Overby served as chairwoman for a hamlets and villages subcommittee. She was also involved in a recreation advisory committee, and more recently, she served for seven years on the East Hampton Planning Board, three of them as its chairwoman.

    Ms. Overby first ran for town board in 2001, renouncing a lifelong loyalty to the Republican Party for the first time.

    The Democrats “were the ones that asked,” she said. “But I really believed in what they were saying, to preserve land, to continue good planning. In 2001, we were again seeing a push. It was a time of a lot of money; people wanted to develop out here.”

    Perhaps because the 2001 election closely followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, “it wasn’t a time when people were saying ‘Let’s try something new,’ ” Ms. Overby said. “All the incumbents won.”

    This time around, Ms. Overby, who is also running on the Working Families line, said the campaigning process is quite different, marked by more intensive publicity.

    “The exposure has grown significantly,” she said. “There are more newspapers, including online, there are more debates, LTV has gotten a lot bigger. . . . People want information every single day. People blog, people respond immediately, they don’t wait to write a letter to the editor. In some ways it takes away from standing at the grocery store and talking to people. In some ways it makes you less visible.”

    Ms. Overby decided to run again in the hope of refocusing the town board’s efforts toward “good planning” for East Hampton, making sure that new development will not impinge upon or erode the local environment, which the local economy so depends on, she said.

    “I was very concerned with the professionals I saw in the Planning Department not being consulted on issues for the town,” she said. “Their expertise was not being used. This administration does not like planning for some reason. The reason we have something to offer is because people see the value of the beaches and the forests and the bays — the wealth of our natural resources. We have to make sure we don’t pave it over.”

    Ms. Overby says she has always been impressed with the level of knowledge and professionalism of the Planning Department, and has worked to understand the codes so she would be well informed.

    She says that East Hampton should expand the businesses that have traditionally made money here, such as farming and fishing. “You want things that are consistent with your environment,” she said.

    While campaigning is people-oriented, which she likes, she said that during her neighborhood walks she has learned some important things just from observing.

     “There are too many kids at home in the late afternoons without parents,” she said. “There is definitely a need. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking. But, that’s what we’re supposed to be seeing; that will inform your decisions.”

    Children are perhaps at the very center of Ms. Overby’s “agenda.” Raising her two sons, Alec and Andrew, who both graduated from East Hampton High School, here was one of the most rewarding experiences she’s had, she said.

    “I’ve had the most fun having my kids in school here,” she said. “The Amagansett School has such small classes and there is so much diversity, not only with the children, but with the classes offered. I was at every soccer, track and field event and there is that great feeling of knowing all the parents, kids, and teachers. Of all the activities I’ve done, I think I enjoyed that the most — getting to know the community.”

The East Hampton Environmental Coalition, a new collective comprised of 11 nonprofit groups, announced this week that all East Hampton Town Board and supervisor candidates have posted responses to the coalition’s questionnaire.

Click here to read

the responses

“We are very excited that all of the candidates for town board and supervisor filled the questionnaire out,” Dan Hendrick, communications director for the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund said in an e-mail. “That speaks volumes about the strength of the coalition and the importance of environmental issues among the voters and elected officials.”

Their entire responses can be seen online at the New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund Web site.

Through the 12-question survey, the new group hopes to bring local environmental concerns into the forefront this election year and to force candidates to take a public stance on everything from noise pollution and water quality to land preservation and waste management.

The coalition includes the Accabonac Protection Committee, Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the Dark Sky Society, the Garden Club of East Hampton, Group for the East End, New York League of Conservation Voters Education Fund, Northwest Alliance, Quiet Skies Coalition, Amagansett Springs Aquifer Protection, the Surfrider Foundation, and the Third House Nature Center.

The questionnaire was put out to incumbent Republican Supervisor Bill Wilkinson and his challenger, Zach Cohen, as well as the six town board candidates: Democrats Peter Van Scoyoc and Sylvia Overby, Steven Gaines and Richard Haeg, Republicans, and Bill Mott and Marilyn Behan, Independence Party. 

    This election year, Bill Mott is trying to ascend the political ladder he’s been poised on for a long time.

    A 28-year volunteer fireman with the Bridgehampton Fire Department, Mr. Mott has served for 12 years as an East Hampton Town trustee and made a go at the Republican nomination for town board once before.

    He was drawn into local government 14 years ago by the late Jim McCaffrey, a town trustee who became his “political stepping stone.”

    Mr. Mott, a former Republican, explained that he was going to run for town board a few years back when Bill Gardiner headed the local Republican Party. Instead, he said, “it didn’t work out because they went in another direction.” Passed over for a spot at the top of the ticket, he tried but failed to petition for a primary. “I was upset about it, so I changed parties.” He joined the Independence Party about four years ago.

    This year, Mr. Mott was screened by all three parties, twice with the Republicans. “I think they wanted Republicans only,” he said. “When I screened with the Independence Party, they asked if I was willing to run just on the Independence ticket and I said yes right away.”

    Mr. Mott described the campaigning process as “pretty hectic,” explaining that trying to juggle political, professional, and personal lives is difficult.

    “I don’t mind the campaigning part, but with all the other outside activities that I have, I haven’t been door to door as often as I’d like. I think I’m at a bit of a disadvantage. I put a feather in the cap of those candidates that are working and campaigning.”

    Mr. Mott says that he is trying to “hit each of the hamlets,” dividing his time between greeting voters at grocery stores and post offices and walking the streets of the various neighborhoods. He has earmarked Springs for the next couple of days and is trying to attend as many citizens advisory councils as possible. “I’m trying to get my pretty face shown,” he said with a laugh.

    With all the events the candidates participate in as the election approaches, Mr. Mott said the boundaries of their various stances and solutions to the town’s troubles begin to blur.

    “It’s hard to come up with a new, creative idea because we all meet so often and there are six of us,” he said. “You get to know all your opponents so well. I see them four times a week, and a lot of us have the same thought process.”

    Born and raised in East Hampton, Mr. Mott graduated from East Hampton High School in 1968 before joining the Navy for four years, serving in the Vietnam War as a plane captain. His first tour of duty involved reconnaissance missions up and down Cam Ranh Bay.

    “Upon returning, the squadron I was in was decommissioned and they sent me to back to Memphis to jet school,” he said. “After six months there, I was reassigned to a squadron on Whidbey Island, Wash. I arrived Friday afternoon and we deployed Monday morning again to Vietnam, this time on the U.S.S. Midway in the Gulf of Tonkin. I oversaw everything.”

    Mr. Mott followed up his service with a two-year stint at the Grumman Aerospace Corporation, and in 1980, he took a job at Pulver Gas in Bridgehampton. He says it was a natural decision becuase of his mechanical background and understanding of engineering. Mr. Mott has worked there ever since, and has been a sales manager since 1990.

    He believes his 30 years at Pulver have helped prepare him for a town board position. In his job now, he has to listen to the concerns of everyone from home and restaurant owners to contractors and builders. “I deal with people every day,” he said.

     Mr. Mott and his wife of 35 years, Mary, have three grown children, all of whom live nearby, and three grandchildren. Outside of work he golfs, clams, and fishes.

    That, and his background as a town trustee, seem to have formed his political platform. His top issue, he said, is the protection of the beaches and public access to East Hampton’s rare environmental beauties. He is concerned that a lawsuit against the town by private property owners who claim they own a stretch of ocean beach on Napeague could threaten that.

    “We can’t afford to have our beaches privatized,” he said. “Our biggest source of income are the second-home owners and the tourists. We have to start enforcing what we have on the books. The laws are already there.”

    It has been several years since the East Hampton Independence Party ran its own candidates for town board, as opposed to endorsing those nominated by the Republian or Democratic Parties. Mr. Mott is sharing the Independence town board ticket with Marilyn Behan of Montauk.

    “I feel like Marilyn and I have a good shot at this,” he said. “We cannot have an all-Republican board,” and that fact, he said, gives the Independence candidates “a leg up on the Republican candidates.”

Team Wilkinson

    The last fund-raising event for “Team Wilkinson” — the incumbent Republican supervisor, Bill Wilkinson, and his town board running mates, Steven Gaines and Richard Haeg — is being held tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Palm restaurant in East Hampton. Tickets are $75.

Happy Democrats

    Tomorrow, Zach Cohen, Democratic town supervisor hopeful, and Democratic town board candidates, Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc, will host a free happy hour at the Shagwong restaurant in Montauk beginning at 5 p.m.

Clams and Candidates

    Tonight from 6:30 to 8:30, the Independence Party is hosting “Clams, Cocktails, and Candidates,” a fund-raiser at Ashawagh Hall for the party’s town board candidates, Bill Mott and Marilyn Behan. Tickets are $25.

Debate Tonight

    The six candidates for East Hampton Town Board will meet again this afternoon at LTV Studios in Wainscott at a debate sponsored by the Village Preservation Society of East Hampton.

    The debate will begin at 4:30 and can be seen live on LTV Channel 20.

East Hampton Town

C.S.E.A. Approves Contract

    Members of East Hampton Town’s Civil Service Employees Association union voted last Thursday to ratify a four-year contract with the town, retroactive to the start of 2011.

    The contract was the result of extended negotiations with town officials. Eighty percent of the C.S.E.A. members, or 154 workers, voted on it last week, with 60 percent voting to approve it, and 40 ercent voting against. The agreement will not be finalized until the town board formally approves it as well. Details will be forthcoming then.

Board Approves Two Land Buys

    After hearings last Thursday night, the East Hampton Town Board voted to proceed with two land purchases.

    An approximately 3.7-acre parcel off West Lake Drive in Montauk, near a town launching ramp, has shoreline along Lake Montauk. It is zoned for resort use, and is within a harbor protection overlay district. Owned by Bistrian Land Corp., it will be purchased with $1.6 million from the community preservation fund.

    The other tract to be purchased, also with the preservation fund, is a quarter-acre at 291 Three Mile Harbor Road in East Hampton. It is owned by John and Winifred Dowling and will cost $45,000.

Request for Energy Assessment Proposals

    Also last Thursday night, the board approved a resolution offered by Councilman Dominick Stanzione, who has proposed looking into energy conservation improvements that could be made to the town’s public buildings.

    After hearing a presentation by one particular company, the board agreed to issue a request for proposals for an energy assessment and energy performance improvements that will reduce the town’s long-term energy costs.

    Political candidates all across the board appeared on Monday at Ashawagh Hall under the auspices of the Springs Citizens Advisory Committee. They discussed their backgrounds and platforms, but dealt with a series of Springs-centric questions as well.

    Most of the questions were aimed at the town supervisor candidates, Republican incumbent Bill Wilkinson and Democrat Zach Cohen, and the six town board candidates, Sylvia Overby and Peter Van Scoyoc, Democrats; Steven Gaines and Richard Haeg, Republicans, and the Independence Party’s Bill Mott. Marilyn Behan was ill and unable to attend.

    The candidates for superintendent of highways, Democratic incumbent Scott King and Republican challenger Stephen Lynch, also weighed in on a few issues, including one of the first questions of the night — asking them what was the highway superintendent’s appropriate role in town government.

    Mr. Lynch said it was to keep the roads clean and safe, which, he said, was largely contingent on the successful management of employees, as well as a high level of accountability. Mr. King said the job was multi-faceted, requiring an understanding of everything from union contracts and highway laws to budgeting and purchasing procedures. He added that the job needed a “creative thinker” and a “problem-solver who knows how to maneuver around Town Hall.”

    Mr. Gaines said a town board member should “listen to people and like people. This place fascinates me, so that won’t be hard to do.” Board members, he added, should bring their own opinions to the table and not march in lockstep with the rest of the board.

    Understanding the community was Mr. Haeg’s main thrust. He said the town board had to “legislate today for things in the future,” while Ms. Overby focused on the kind of leadership that “pulls people up.” Her running mate, Mr. Van Scoyoc, echoed those sentiments, saying that town government should provide the greatest good for all citizens, with “integrity, patience, and open-mindedness.”

    Mr. Mott had a similar answer, saying, “Once you’re elected, you’re no longer a Republican or Democrat. You work for the people.”

    The responses from the supervisor candidates differed quite a bit. Mr. Wilkinson highlighted strong leadership, negotiation skills, and understanding disparate thought as the job’s most important elements. Mr. Cohen cited “knowledge, compassion, and action” as vital, focusing on caring for others.  

    The supervisor hopefuls were asked to describe how they would deal with violations of single-family-only zoning ordinances in Springs.

    Mr. Cohen answered that obeying the laws was of the utmost importance. “I never want laws that we wink at,” he said. “I do think we have less code enforcement now than in the past. I think we need to look and see if we have adequate staffing.”

    Mr. Wilkinson noted that Springs was the most densely populated hamlet in the town, with many small lots. While the administration could be more aggressive in enforcing the laws, he said, he also believed in allowing the town’s various “jurisdictions” to do their job. “We have a code enforcement department,” he said. “They can go out and work separately.”

    Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Cohen were next asked how they would maintain a high quality of life for Springs residents. Mr. Wilkinson responded that he would try to reshape the budget and “see what serves as critical and what is less important. Security, safety, and seniors are priorities.” He said the town police chief, Ed Ecker, has told him police coverage was adequate for the area.

    A hearing will be held at East Hampton Town Hall next Thursday night at 7 p.m. on a preliminary 2013 town budget of just over $69 million.

    If adopted as proposed, the budget would result in a 4.6-percent tax rate increase for most town residents, and a 1.7-percent tax rate decrease for those living in East Hampton or Sag Harbor Villages, who are not taxed for certain services already provided by the villages.

    Tax rates would be $27.86 per $100 of assessed value for properties in the town, and $10.93 per $100 of assessed value for properties in the villages.

    For the first time in several years, elected and appointed officials, as well as town department heads, would receive a 2-percent salary increase under the proposed budget.

    Salaries for town board members would be set at $61,750. The town supervisor’s annual compensation would be $98,800, and the salaries for both the highway superintendent and the town clerk would be $83,285.

    Two discussions of the tentative budget prepared by Supervisor Bill Wilkinson resulted in few changes to the draft. However, the town board may revise the budget before meeting a state-imposed Nov. 20 deadline for final budget adoption based on comments made by members of the public at the hearing.

    Concerned citizens and members of the Quiet Skies Coalition gathered at LTV Studios on Oct. 26 to hear from a panel led by Sheila Jones, an attorney specializing in environmental litigation and a partner at the Denver-based law firm Holland & Hart, discussing Federal Aviation Administration grants for the East Hampton airport.

    Should East Hampton Town choose not to accept the grants, Ms. Jones was more encouraging on its prospects for airport control than Peter Kirsch, an attorney specializing in aviation law, had been earlier last month at the town board’s invitation. Mr. Kirsch gave a bleak assessment that most of the grant assurances simply echo federal law and cannot be countermanded.

    Ms. Jones explained that “the [Federal Aviation Administration] has the authority to regulate aircraft routes, manage airspace, and also regulate noise at its source,” but said there was also a law that allows the “proprietors” of airports to “manage environmental impact” as they see fit.

    She cited the example of the East 34th Street Heliport in Manhattan, which imposed a curfew, as well as limitations on hours of operation, to counter noise issues. The restrictions were challenged, but were upheld in court as “non-discriminatory.”

    “You must define a proposal that looks to dealing with the noise in a rather surgical way,” she said. “If you do not, you may very well lose.”

    The town could well incur lawsuits if it decided not to take more federal money, negating its contractual agreement with the federal government (a possibility that could occur as soon as 2014), and began imposing restrictions on the airport to deal with the ever-increasing noise, especially from helicopters. Ms. Jones explained that if the F.A.A. decided that any of the restrictions were unreasonable or discriminatory, it could sue the town, a costly prospect.

    To forestall that possibility, she said, the town might explore other methods of noise control.

    “If a proprietor is going to regulate noise, they have to use a balanced approach,” she said. “It means you must look at measures to address noise abatement that do not affect airport operations or hours, such as sound barriers, acquiring land, and other measures, first.”

    Even if the town enforces a local noise standard in what it believes to be a non-discriminatory way, the F.A.A. could still challenge it, she said. although there would be no fear of breaching a contract.

    Ms. Jones outlined the possibility of imposing restrictions on helicopters following specific procedures outlined under the Airport Noise Capacity Act of 1990.

    “If ANCA applies, and you’re trying to deal with noise from [helicopters], you simply follow the procedure, there is no F.A.A. approval,” she said. “You’re done.”

    “Yes, there may be more cost involved, as well as studies,” she said. “But ANCA is not a restriction in any sense of the word, in a legal or practical sense.” If East Hampton chose not to follow the ANCA protocol, she cautioned, it could not receive any F.A.A. money. “But from the perspective of East Hampton, if you’re going to stop taking money in the future, you don’t much care.”

    Jim Matthews, chairman of the Northwest Alliance, a group of concerned residents in that part of town, weighed in on the negative impacts of aircraft noise, offering disconcerting evidence of damage both to the environment, in particular Northwest Creek, and to wildlife.

    All incoming helicopter traffic heads straight down the creek, he said, which was not only “a bit of a horror to those taxpayers who enjoyed the tranquillity,” but also took its toll on bald eagles, American black ducks, raccoons, and geese. “They begin to flee,” said Mr. Matthews. “Fleeing interferes with their ability to feed, their mating behavior, brooding, the raising of young, and the eventual abandonment of their habitat.

    Studies have shown that people who live near airports have higher blood pressure and children have lower attention spans, he added, asserting that in its second year of service the dedicated noise-complaint line, 537-LOUD, had received one phone call for every three flights that went overhead.

    “That is human suffering,” said Mr. Matthews. “It’s a human representation of acute discomfort.”