East Hampton Campaign Contributions Set Record

On workdays, Lance G. Harris occupies an office in an unremarkable 35-story office building at 575 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. There is nothing unusual about it, except that Mr. Harris is the single biggest identifiable figure in an East Hampton Town election year that will blow past records for fund-raising and spending.

Mr. Harris is listed in campaign disclosures as the treasurer of the East Hampton Leadership Council, which has campaigned on behalf of the town Republican candidates. He is also a lawyer and house counsel for an apparel firm. Other than through the group he fronts, he has no discernible ties to East Hampton.

The leadership council has spent more than $150,000, all of it going to a Manhattan public relations firm, so far in 2015. It is funded entirely by YGB Holdings, an anonymous limited liability company whose ownership details Mr. Harris refused to provide.

According to State Board of Elections reports, YGB is the largest donor in the East Hampton races this year, contributing $207,000.

Taken together, the money given to the Republican and Democratic campaigns in the final tally will be close to $600,000. The previous record, set in 2001, was more than $400,000.

Republican supporters have contributed more than $2.50 for every $1 raised by Democrats in advance of Tuesday’s voting. At least 81 percent of the Republican campaign committees’ war chest came from companies and individuals with ties to East Hampton Airport, according to the latest filings.

In reports last week, the four groups actively supporting Republican candidates for East Hampton Town supervisor and other offices listed income of more than $423,000 between the first of the year and the middle of October. So far, they have spent about $293,000.

Campaign 2015, the town Democrats’ main campaign committee, reported taking in $113,850 since Jan. 1. Supervisor Larry Cantwell’s political committee, Friends of Larry Cantwell, took in about $54,700 during the same period. The East Hampton Town Democratic Committee took in just over $26,000.

Because of transfers to Campaign 2015 from the Democratic Committee, the Democrats’ total take was just over $168,500, with expenses of $145,700 through mid-October.

Separately, Christopher Kelley, the chairman of the town Democrats’ campaign committee, alleged in a letter to the New York State Board of Elections on Monday that several of the Republicans’ donations exceeded campaign limits.

 Of the $173,000 in contributions listed in the town Republican Committee’s disclosure statements, at least $137,000 came from individuals or businesses associated with the East Hampton Airport. The greatest portion of the airport-related gifts to the committee came from a single address on West 47th Street in Manhattan.

Donald R. Mullen, a part-time East Hampton resident, provided the Republican Committee its largest check, for $42,300.

Others contributing from Mr. Mullen’s West 47th Street address were Anne and Isabelle Mullen and MVRE III, a company that shares a Newark Airport building with HeliFlite Shares, which itself gave the Republican Committee $5,000. The Republicans also got $5,000 each from MVRE II and from three other limited liability companies that list the same West 47th Street address: Wilson Ridge Properties, FREI, and VREI. A fourth L.L.C. at that address, MFLC, gave $10,000

Mr. Mullen is a co-founder of Pretium Partners, an investment firm with $2 billion in assets under management, and has a house on Cross Highway near Two Mile Hollow Beach, according to town records.

In his letter to the state, Mr. Kelley wrote that Mr. Mullen’s personal donations and those from the relatives sharing his office address contributed $57,300, above the aggregate limits for the general and primary elections this year. Mr. Mullen’s office did not respond for a request for comment.

Tom Knobel, the Republican candidate for town supervisor and chairman of the Republican Committee, said that Mr. Mullen and his family’s donations were within the allowed amount. He said that he had met Mr. Mullen once or twice and that Mr. Mullen “cared about the airport and cared about East Hampton.”

HeliFlite Shares is one of several companies that offer helicopter rides to East Hampton Airport. Earlier this year, the five-member East Hampton Town Board approved measures intended to curtail aircraft noise. HeliFlite is among a group suing the town in federal court to overturn those measures. East Hampton Councilman Fred Overton, the board’s sole member elected on the Republican ticket, voted against the airport limits; his post is not up for re-election.

A recent mailing to residents from the East Hampton Leadership Council said the Democratic town board candidates were “out of touch” and “out of solutions.” On its other side, it described the Republicans in positive terms.

Mr. Kelley said in his letter to the state board of elections that the mailing and other campaign efforts demonstrated illegal coordination between the leadership council and the town Republicans.

In addition, Mr. Kelley said that YGB Holdings appeared to be colluding with Mr. Mullen and HeliFlite to exceed campaign finance limits. The New York State Board of Elections considers limited liability companies to be the same as individual donors, with cap of $150,000 for gifts to noncandidate committees.

Mr. Harris referred multiple requests for comment to Jonathan Weinstein of Mercury public relations. Mr. Weinstein declined to answer questions about YGB Holdings’ ownership and offered a prepared statement that echoed the Leadership Council’s mailings. “The Democrats are becoming increasingly desperate,” it read. “It is clear that they are losing on the issues, so they are now resorting to mudslinging and baseless accusations.” He criticized the incumbents for their “failure to properly handle an out-of-control party crowd, failing to enforce our laws, and derailing the local economy.”

Responding to the allegation of coordination with the campaigns, Mr. Knobel said, “That there is no coordination with them is absolute. I can emphatically say that there is none.” He said he did not know the identity of anyone involved with YBG Holdings.

Lisa Mulhern-Larsen, a Republican running for town board, took in $27,936 so far this year.

Turner for Town Board, supporting Margaret Turner, a Republican first-time candidate, reported taking in $15,130 in 2015.

The political action committee of the Quiet Skies Coalition, a group that advocates for noise reduction at East Hampton Airport, reported $2,000 in income.

The East Hampton Conservators, a group aligned with Democrats, listed $7,800 in contributions since Jan. 1. Hefty donations to that group in previous election years have resulted in a cash infusion for Democratic issues and candidates.

There was no activity reported for either Councilman Peter Van Scoyoc or Councilwoman Sylvia Overby.

Campaign 2015, the East Hampton Democrats main fund, missed the Friday submission deadline to the board of elections for an 11-day pre-election filing; its data appeared on the board of elections website on Tuesday.

The East Hampton Town Republican Committee listed $120,000 in expenses so far this year. That included $12,000 for polling, $27,600 for advertising, and $42,600 in consulting and professional services.

As of Friday, the East Hampton Leadership Council had spent $105,000 of its $207,000 income, all of it going to Mercury Public Affairs of Manhattan, a political strategy and consulting firm that is part of the multinational Omnicom Group, which owns more than 1,500 public relations agencies.

Ms. Turner’s committee spent just under $7,200 and Ms. Mulhearn-Larsen’s, about $10,600.

Friends of Larry Cantwell reported spending about $42,800, including an $11,000 transfer to the Democrats’ Campaign 2015 fund and $12,500 in consulting fees.

Campaign 2015 reported expenditures of just over $94,000. About $14,000 went to fund-raising efforts, $18,000 for radio and newspaper advertising, and $52,000 for campaign literature and postage.

The East Hampton Democratic Committee paid out $42,800, mostly for printing and mailing.

A final tally of campaign donations and spending is due at the board of elections on Nov. 30, but through Nov. 2, any contributions or loans in excess of $1,000 must be reported to the board within 24 hours. Political action committees also have a 24-hour reporting requirement on expenses during that period. 

An earlier version of this story appeared in print in the Oct. 29 issue of The Star. This online version has been updated to incorporate $87,000 in donations to the East Hampton Leadership Council that did not appear in an earlier board of elections report.

Follow the Money

Below is a list of campaign committees, party committees, and political action committees active in this year's East Hampton Town elections. Click the name to see their most recent campaign finance disclosure reports filed with the New York State Board of Elections.

Campaign 2015 (Democrats)

East Hampton Conservators 

East Hampton Leadership Council

East Hampton Town Democratic Committee

East Hampton Town Republican Committee

Friends of Larry Cantwell 

Lisa Mulhern-Larsen

Quiet Skies Coalition political action committee

Turner for Town Board