Christopher Minardi, a member of the East Hampton Village Zoning Board of Appeals, plans to join Jerry Larsen's New Town ticket as a candidate for village board.
Mr. Minardi, a lifelong village resident and sales director at New York Title Abstract Services, will run in the June 16 election with the former village police chief, who is seeking the mayor's post, and Sandra Melendez, who is also running for a board seat
He plans to formally announce his candidacy at a Facebook Live event Mr. Larsen will hold at 5 p.m. on Monday.
"We need some change in this village, and I like the direction Jerry is going in," said Mr. Minardi. The village needs to be more "user-friendly," he said, and the village code, which has strict regulations on how businesses can operate, should reflect more common sense.
"No one wants to have a strip mall on Main Street, but we have a duty to make the village more vibrant, and it hasn't been that way for a couple of years," he said. "Montauk, Sag Harbor, and even Amagansett are out-performing the village."
To retain the village's appeal as a resort destination, he said, the board needs to bring both year-round residents and second homeowners together to focus on ways to support small business and the real estate industry. "It's not us versus them anymore," he said. "Ninety-nine percent of the homes in the village are second homes."
Keeping the beaches pristine will also be one of his top priorities. "No one loves the beach as much as I do," said Mr. Minardi, who is a lifeguard at Main Beach, and a member of the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue squad.
On the Elms Party Ticket Barbara Borsack, a longtime village board member, is running for mayor and the current appointed mayor, Richard Lawler, and Ray Harden, the vice chairman of the zoning board of appeals, are running for board seats. David Driscoll is running with Arthur Graham, a trustee and mayoral candidate, as a member of the Fishhooks Party.
Referring to the high number of candidates in the race, Mr. Minardi said, "That's a testament to the change that is needed."
