Dan's Papers -December 18, 2009 -Southampton's Special Election Brings Challenges

The Town of Southampton is holding a special election to fill the councilman seat vacated by Anna Throne-Holst, who was elected Southampton Town Supervisor. Under a new town law, an empty seat must be filled by a special election within 60-90 days of the vacancy.

In an instance of political déja vu, the Republican and Democratic parties are again in the process of selecting candidates. Democratic Party strategist Michael Anthony explained to me on election night that second and third party endorsements will be key in determining who will prevail in this special election. A numbers genius when it comes to Southampton politics, Anthony explained the importance of having the additional hundreds of votes the Independent party and Conservative party bring in on Election Day.

On Thursday, Dec. 3, under the direction of Republican Committee Chairman Ernest Wruck, the Republican Party began to screen candidates at Villa Tuscano on Montauk Highway in Hampton Bays. Wruck reportedly said that the Republican committee will likely nominate a candidate at the party's convention in January. State Assemblyman Fred Thiele said, "Becky Molinaro of my office has expressed interest in the seat and has screened for the Republican nomination. She has done an outstanding job for me for many years and will have my full support should she be designated as a candidate." Other GOP candidate-hopefuls included Dr. Tod Granger of Noyac, Scott Horowitz of East Quogue and William Hughes of Hampton Bays. Former Councilman Dan Russo of East Quogue also screened before the committee, but later decided to withdraw his name from consideration.

When Gordon Herr, Chairman of the Southampton Democratic Party, was reached for a statement, he said, "The Southampton Town Democratic Committee will be interviewing a number of potential candidates, including Bridget Fleming, to run in the special election next year. I do not know who the Republican nominee will be, but this will not affect our selection."

Fleming ran a highly energized campaign last November, losing by a narrow margin to James Malone and Chris Nuzzi. Both Nuzzi and Malone had multi-party support, thus giving them their victory margins-according to Anthony's calculations on election night.

The potential problem that may arise from the special election is not really the outcome, since the Republicans will have majority regardless, with three of the five votes. The sticky wicket will be the tenor of a special election, in terms of the polarizing effect it might have on Southampton Town politics. At the moment there seems to be a spirit of cooperation between Supervisor-elect Throne-Holst and the present board on acting responsibly to get the town's finances under control. The last thing the town needs now is a spirited campaign where battle lines will be drawn and political positions cemented by hard-nose posturing for an election.

On election night, the Democrats were excited about capturing the Supervisor's office but disappointed about losing a seat (Sally Pope) on the board. The truth is that election night was already complicated by ticket-splitting votes-just proving what Thiele has repeatedly told me: "Party affiliations don't mean that much in local elections."

However, the long history of Republican Party dominance and control in Southampton cannot be ignored as it still has a majority hold of the town board. After the election in November, Throne-Holst told me that she'd attempt to work with the board in the best interest of town. She expressed the need to create trust and a positive working relationship among all board members.

Concerning the possibility of Linda Kabot running once again-but for the state assembly against Thiele-Thiele responded, "I really don't have anything to say about speculation that Linda might run for the Assembly...other than that I've run for office successfully 12 times, including eight times for the State Assembly. I've had an opponent each and every time, and I expect to again this year. I have a record that I'm very proud of and will run on my record regardless of who that opponent is."

One thing is for sure, and that is that Throne-Holst has said she hopes Fleming will run for her vacated seat. The question is: how partisan will Throne-Holst be during the campaign should Fleming be the candidate? While Throne-Holst attempts to heal local government for a bipartisan approach at problem solving, a bitter campaign may be detrimental to her attempts to get things done through a Republican-controlled board. However, a strong personal and professional fondness for the likeable, energetic Fleming may find Throne-Holst tip-toeing a fine line.