Politics & Government

East Hampton Republican Ticket Taking Shape

Carl Irace takes the justice candidate nomination in close vote; Fred Overton and Dominick Stanzione chosen for town board.

While Jay Schneiderman still mulls over whether to accept the Republican nomination for supervisor, the East Hampton Town Republican Committee has continued to select its slate for the 2013 election.

On Wednesday night, the committee nominated candidates for East Hampton Town Board, town justice, assessor and town clerk.

Kurt Kappel, the Republican chairman, said that in a close vote the committee nominated Carl Irace, a former town attorney, to run for the position of town justice, a position currently held by Justice Catherine A. Cahill.

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Irace left the town attorney's office earlier this year after two years on the job, during which he mainly worked in land use. He worked as an assistant district attorney in the narcotics bureau of the Bronx County district attorney's office from 2001 to 2010. He was a judicial intern with the U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit and the criminal division of the Supreme Court.

Robert Kouffman, an attorney with offices in East Hampton and Bridgehampton, had also screened for the position. In 2003, Kouffman ran a primary against Lisa R. Rana and lost with 48 percent of the vote to 52 percent. Rana, who is the wife of Kappel, went on to win the election and remains on the bench after winning re-election in 2007 and again in 2012.

Find out what's happening in East Hamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Reached on Friday, Kouffman said he was not interested in running a primary against Irace. "I wish him well," Kouffman said.

For the two open town board seats, the Republicans endorsed an incumbent and Fred Overton, the longtime town clerk who was up for re-election this year, unanimously received a nomination for town board, according to Carole Campolo, the committee secretary. Current Town Councilman Dominick Stanzione also received the nomination, with three abstentions, Campolo said.

Incumbent Theresa Quigley is not seeking re-election. 

Carole Brennan, the current deputy town clerk (an appointed position), was nominated for town clerk unanimously. This will be Brennan's first run for office after about 25 years working in town government.

"After being in this position over 20 years, I just felt like it was time," Brennan said. She started working for the town at the landfill in 1989, and moved over to the town clerk's office in 1992. Just two years later she became the deputy clerk under Fred Yardley.

"I love my job," Brennan said. She also screened with the Democrats, and she hopes to get that party's nomination as well.

Joseph Bloecker, a current town trustee, has decided to make a run for assessor instead. "I'm very honored and flattered to be chosen," Bloecker said on Thursday night.

Eugene de Pasquale, a Democrat and the incumbent assessor, also screened with the Republicans.

Kappel said the Republicans still have four more trustee candidates to select, having already selected five. They will gather at a later date to discuss the rest of the candidates.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here