Just when the Democratic primary campaign signs for East Hampton Town supervisor are finally coming down, with the contest decided convincingly for the incumbent, Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, a group of East Hampton residents has formed an “independent expenditure committee” to launch a write-in campaign for her opponent, Jerry Larsen.
A website, writeinjerrylarsen.com, has gone live with a petition and donation button.
Clicking through the petition link brings up a page that says “Paid for by the Write in Jerry Larsen for Supervisor Committee” and notes that it is “not authorized by any candidate.”
There is no state requirement for a write-in candidate to gain signatures on a petition.
“A write-in candidate does not need ‘ballot access,’ ” Jacki Esposito, founder of the write-in committee, wrote in a text. “The petition is strictly grassroots — to show support and call on Jerry to run.”
“Democracy works best when voters have real choices, and when turnout is particularly low, it is reasonable to question whether the outcome is representative of the greater community,” Ms. Esposito said in a press release.
More than 3,000 votes were cast in the primary election, but the population of East Hampton Town is close to 10 times that. Unofficial results of the primary showed Ms. Burke-Gonzalez won more than 62 percent of the Democratic vote.
“After listening to residents, our mission is straightforward: Give the more than 20,000 voters of East Hampton a meaningful choice in November. We believe this effort is both warranted and winnable,” Ms. Esposito said.
Reached by phone Thursday afternoon, Mr. Larsen, the mayor of East Hampton Village, seemed taken aback.
“I don’t know how to respond,” he said. “I don’t want to discourage them, but I’m not actively campaigning. It was a tremendous amount of work to do what we did. However, I’ve said all along that it’s the residents of East Hampton that should be making this decision. If they’re somehow successful, I’d certainly accept the position. I’ve accepted my primary defeat, and I plan to focus on working as mayor.”
He added that he was both “humbled” and “honored” by the new effort.
“Voters care deeply about the critical issues facing our town like taxes, housing, access to clean water, and affordability,” Mary Waserstein, an organizer with the committee, said in the release.
Ms. Waserstein was on Mayor Larsen’s slate of Democratic Committee candidates. As of Thursday afternoon, the unofficial results showed she lost in Election District 9 by only two votes.
“As our first initiative, we’re asking residents to sign the petition and add their voice to this effort,” she said. “If you believe East Hampton deserves a competitive election and another choice for town supervisor, we encourage you to join us. Every signature sends a clear message that voters want the opportunity to make that choice in November.”
“I would consider a write-in campaign to be beyond a long shot,” Anna Skrenta, the chairwoman of the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee, said Thursday. Ms. Burke-Gonzalez had not returned a call for comment.
