The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island, and the North Fork will sponsor three virtual candidates debates for town and village elections next week.
East Hampton Town Democratic Party debates for supervisor and town board will happen next Thursday at 7 p.m. Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc and Councilman Jeff Bragman, who is challenging Mr. Van Scoyoc, will debate from 7 to 7:45 p.m. The three candidates running for two seats on the town board will debate from 7:45 to 8:30. They are Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, who is seeking a third term, Cate Rogers, chairwoman of the East Hampton Democratic Committee, and John Whelan, chairman of the zoning board of appeals. Judi Roth will moderate.
The primary election is on June 22, with early voting starting June 12. Only registered Democrats can vote in the primary election.
The debates will air on LTV's Channel 20, on its YouTube channel, and at ltveh.org, live and subsequently.
The League announced this week that it has canceled the the Working Families Party line debate for the Southampton Town Board because a sufficient number of candidates would not have been able to take part. Robin Long, Sean McArdle, Tommy John Schiavoni, and Miranda Schultz had been invited to participate in the debate; the four candidates are vying for two lines on the Working Families ballot. Only members of the Working Families Party can vote in that primary, with early voting beginning June 12.
On Wednesday, also at 7 p.m., candidates for Southampton Village mayor and the village board will debate ahead of the June 18 election. Mayor Jesse Warren, the incumbent, will debate Michael Irving, a former mayor of the village, from 7 to 7:45 p.m. The four candidates running for two seats on the village board will debate from 7:45 until 8:30. They are the incumbents Mark Parash and Andrew Pilaro, and Robin Brown and Roy Stevenson. Cathy Peacock will moderate.
Both Southampton debates will air on the town's SEA-TV Channel 22 and its YouTube channel, live and afterward.
All debates will consist of timed opening statements by the candidates, a question-and-answer session with questions submitted to the league in advance, and timed closing statements. Questions for all three debates must be submitted in advance to Barbara McClancy, the league's voters services committee chairwoman, at [email protected].
Tomorrow is the postmark deadline for registering to vote in the primary election. The postmark deadline for requesting an absentee ballot is June 15.
Voter registration forms and absentee ballot applications are available on the New York State Board of Elections website at elections.ny.gov. Questions can be directed to the Suffolk County Board of Elections at 631-852-4500.
This story has been updated to reflect the cancellation of the June 1 debate for the Working Families party line in Southampton Town.
