After being sworn in as mayor of Sag Harbor Village at a ceremony in John Steinbeck Waterfront Park on Tuesday, James Larocca asked residents to leave the "hard-fought election" behind them and rally together to focus on issues such as protecting the waterfront and water quality, developing affordable housing, and addressing the village's longstanding lack of parking.
Mr. Larocca pulled off a narrow upset in the June 15 election when he defeated Kathleen Mulcahy, the incumbent, with 379 votes to Ms. Mulcahy's 357, an outcome that he described as an "effective tie."
"I call on everybody -- those who supported me, and those who did not -- to come together at this time. The matters facing this village are too big and too important for anything less than a unified community with a unified purpose," he said. "That purpose is very simple. We want to preserve, protect, and nourish what we have, and lay the groundwork for the future."
His first act as mayor was to appoint Edward Haye, an attorney and former member of the Sag Harbor School Board, to fill the village board seat he has vacated. In his announcement of the appointment, Mr. Larocca ticked off a list of Mr. Haye's accomplishments. While growing up in the village, he had been "an athlete and scholar" at Pierson High School and was a graduate of Dartmouth College and the Fordham University School of Law.
"When I first met Jim, I said I would try to help him any way I could, but I also said I wasn't sure what he had in mind, and I wasn't sure what was in store for me," Mr. Haye said in an interview after the ceremony. He became convinced that their goals for the village were aligned after having several more discussions with Mr. Larocca. The main priorities, he said, should be protecting the waterfront, "maintaining the character of the village, and finding ways to make it more affordable to live here."
Mr. Larocca reappointed Thomas Gardella as deputy mayor, and, citing his experience in public safety as a former chief of the Sag Harbor Fire Department and head of the ambulance corps, asked him to serve as police commissioner.
Mr. Larocca appointed Val Florio, an architect and a former member of the board of historic preservation and architectural review, as chairman of the zoning board of appeals, and Jeanne Kane as chairwoman of the preservation and architectural review board.
He reappointed Beth Kamper as village clerk-administrator, and announced the village board's committee assignments.
Mr. Larocca will continue to serve as liaison to public works as well as waterfront and docks. Mr. Gardella will be liaison to the Police and Fire Departments and the ambulance corps, Aidan Corish of the village board will continue to seek grants and serve as sewer liaison, and Mr. Haye will be liaison to the justice court and the Mashashimuet Park Board.
An assignment for the village board's Bob Plumb, who had supported Ms. Mulcahy's campaign and been the liaison to the Building Department during her administration, was not announced.
