Jerry Larsen might be correct in that the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee could be more broadly representative of a changing voter base, but if he is, it is for the wrong reasons. We agree that the 38-member committee could be expanded beyond the usual suspects. However, it would be bad for the East Hampton Democrats if Mr. Larsen were to succeed in his hostile takeover.
A personal sense of disgruntlement unites many of Mr. Larsen’s more vocal backers. Scratch the surface and a beef about the way one thing or another was handled in Town Hall becomes clear. Among the top offenders in their minds is the town’s recent recalculation of floor-area limits for new construction. Despite loud objections from some in the real estate and building industries, the town board voted 3-to-2 to reduce the allowed square footage. Leftover ill feelings from this can be discerned among several of Mr. Larsen’s hand-picked candidates. But the ever-bigger-houses constituency is limited; public sentiment ran heavily in favor of tamping down on large dwellings on small lots when the issue was being debated last year.
Several of the candidates have spoken to us of a sense of bewilderment when they realized what they had agreed to — including one person who had forgotten entirely about being asked by Mr. Larsen to run in the first place. Others innocently found themselves unwittingly involved in a divisive power grab not of their own making.
Setting aside which districts they are running for — as well as their personal gripes about the town and eagerness to support Mr. Larsen — there are a number of challengers whose participation on the committee would improve Democratic voter representation — and perhaps widen the pool of future candidates. These include Jenny Lilja Baladron, Jill Danis, Trisha Notel Erickson, Vicki Littman, Sarah Minardi, Keeler Otero, Anthony Pineda, Christian Pineda, Hannah Rosario, Kim Slater, Jen Wilson, and Deena Zenger. Each in his or her own way has been a significant contributor to the wider East Hampton Town community.
It is worth noting that the Rev. C.R. Jones and Pastor Trevon Fergerson of Calvary Baptist Church are seeking the District 14 seats, but it would be a loss if they succeeded in ousting Audrey Gaines and J.B. Dos Santos, who are both outstanding, civic-minded participants. Town Trustee Clerk Francis Bock is running unopposed. He publicly came out in support of Mr. Larsen last month. Whether we see eye to eye with Mr. Bock on his choice or not, it came from the right place: a hope to improve things in town government.
On a not-so-hot note, David Gruber, at one time a perennially unsuccessful candidate for East Hampton Town supervisor, is on the ballot in District 8. In 2019 Mr. Gruber disgraced himself by secretly colluding with Town Justice Lisa Rana during one of her re-election campaigns. Unapologetic even after being caught, Mr. Gruber continued to work with Ms. Rana behind the scenes. Eventually, their inappropriate political coordination earned Ms. Rana a rare rebuke from the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics. Why and how Mr. Gruber has re-emerged as a Larsen backer is a puzzle. Democratic District 8 voters would be well advised to keep him as far away from any new role in party politics as possible. Moreover, Mr. Larsen’s embrace of Mr. Gruber shows a disturbing lack of judgment.
Among the real Democratic Committee candidates there are many standouts. These include District 3’s Robert Wick and Jim Lubetkin; Loring Bolger and Mary Busch in District 4; Alyson Follenius in District 5, and Maureen Cahill in District 6. Abby Fleming in District 7 is an excellent voice for true Democratic values. Sally Richardson and Andy Harris in District 11 are stalwart committee members. Tim Garneau and Marilyn Van Scoyoc in District 16 and Bette Smith in District 17 are willing to do the heavy lifting when needed.
We do not want to criticize the newcomers seeking a place on the Democratic Committee. Their participation is welcome, and, win or lose, we hope many of them decide to stick around and become more involved politically.