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One Race, Two Empty Seats?

Thu, 04/28/2022 - 10:44

Springs School District voters will elect two new board members from among four candidates on May 17 after two sitting board members opted not to run for re-election. The race will be the only contested one on the eastern part of the South Fork this year, while two districts, Sag Harbor and Montauk, are facing a shortage of potential board members.

In Springs, the candidates are Summer Romeo, Hella Drew, Emma Field, and Erik Fredrickson. Ms. Drew ran for a board seat last year but was not elected. Dave Conlon and Amy Rivera are not seeking re-election.

Only one candidate, Grainne Coen, submitted a petition in Sag Harbor, where there are two seats open. Chris Tice, who has served multiple terms, and Yorgos Tsibiridis, who is finishing his first term, opted not to run again. Write-in voting may yield the election of another candidate, but that person could theoretically decline it. It’s an unusual situation for Sag Harbor, where school board races have often been contested.

In Montauk, where one seat is up for grabs, a single candidate, Kelly White, submitted a petition but later withdrew it. Write-ins may also figure prominently there.

Three incumbent candidates are running unopposed for three seats on the East Hampton School Board. They are J.P. Foster, the current board president, along with Sandra Vorpahl and Justine O’Mara Limonius.

Carla Lillie and Jennifer Vinski are running unopposed to retain their seats on the Bridgehampton School Board. In Amagansett, Wayne Gauger, a newcomer, and Kristen Peterson, the sitting board president, are the only candidates for two seats.

Cathy Hatgistavrou, a longtime Sagaponack School Board member, and Billy Babinski, a Wainscott School Board member for many years, also have no challengers in their bids for re-election.

 


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