Independence Candidates Ready To Do Some 'Independent Thinking' for Town

The East Hampton Independence Party has put up two candidates for town board that are seen as having a viable chance to take the seats on Tuesday.

William Mott, a current , and Marilyn Behan, a first time candidate and wife of former State Assemblyman John Behan, have received great support.

Behan calls the campaign a wonderful experience. "I've gotten an education in eight weeks that I couldn't have paid for anywhere," she said.

BACKGROUND

Mott, who has been a trustee for 12 years, tried once before to run for town board and ended up leaving the Republican party after they went in another direction. He became an Independence Party candidate about four years ago.

He is a sales manager at Pulver Gas in Bridgehampton, having worked his way up the ladder from the time it was a family run business, starting out as a union driver 30 years ago. If elected, Mott plans on moving up his retirement to focus solely on the town.

Like Behan's husband, Mott is a Vietnam veteran, having served in the Navy as a plane captain from 1968 to 1972. When he returned to his hometown of East Hampton, he met a teacher. He and Mary Mott, the former president of the , have been married for nearly 35 years.

The couple first settled in Wainscott and Mott joined the , of which he has been a member for 28 years. The couple now lives in East Hampton.

Behan, a Democrat who received Wilson Pakula to run, is a former executive director of the . She also worked for three years with the Economic Devleopment Corporation in Albany under Gov. George Pataki when her husband was the director of Veterans Affairs. She has been the office manager at in Montauk for the past nine years.

Her husband is also a former East Hampton Republican Committee chairman, so Behan is no stranger to the political scene, both locally and state-wide. She has said she decided to run upon learning that Democratic Councilwoman Julia Prince was not seeking another term.

ON THE ISSUES

"I care about the community," Behan said, adding that the many stories and concerns she has heard from residents has touched her. 

Among voters greatest concerns, she said, are the density issues in Springs -- from health concerns regarding cesspool over-usage, to road conditions, overcrowding in the school. She said she feels Supervisor Bill Wilkinson promised a lot when it came to ramping up code enforcement, but that he didn't follow through.

Being a Montauk resident, Behan often hears the complaints about Surf Lodge. She said she will also focus code enforcement on the overcrowding and usage of the nightclubs. "I will, at least, know why and then I will find out how I can expedite solutions."

"Is there a quick fix?," she said. "No there's no quick fix, but I hope just be listening I've made people feel a little bit better."

Mott said that as "a good independent thinker," he will bring his problem solving skills to the board. As a trustee, he has been dealing with the beach access suits for more than 18 months. "We cannot afford to lose this," he said, speaking not only about keeping the beaches for the public, but also the good of the local economy.

"People come out here for our beaches," he said. "There must be 50 beaches a year on the beaches," he said, speaking of a trickle effect that will hurt the local businesses.

Behan agrees that the beaches should be open for all. She'd also like to see the beaches -- and the rest of town -- for that matter become more accessible for the handicapped, an issue she is well-versed in as her husband was injured in Vietnam.

She would also like to see a "harbor-walk" created in the dock area of Montauk.

One of Mott's other biggest assets, he said, is an understanding of shellfish and fishing industries. He has long been in favor of a town-owned dredge to keep he channels open. "You'd increase water quality, create jobs and make money," he said.

Editor's Note: The writer is also a member of Mott's company at the Bridgehampton Fire Department.