Politics & Government

G.O.P. Completes Trustee Ticket, But Still Without Supervisor Candidate

The East Hampton Republican Committee is still without a supervisor candidate, but they have made a few more selections for the 2013 ballot.

Kurt Kappel, the committee chairman, said by the weekend the group hopes to have a date scheduled for another screening round for candidates for town supervisor. Though he was out of town on a family emergency the past week, he said he was aware that Larry Cantwell announced he is seeking the Democratic and Independence nominations for supervisor.

The Democrats said they won't make a decision until at least the end of the month, and the Independence Party starts its screening process next week.

In the meantime, the committee has decided on the last four candidates to fill the Town Trustees slate; Mike Bottini, Tom Cooper, Denis Curles, and Brian Pardini, according to Thomas Knobel, the vice chairman. They join the five Republican incumbents the committee already endorsed; Diane McNally, Timothy Bock, Stephanie Forsberg, Sean McCaffrey, and Nat Miller.

There are a total of nine trustee seats. As for the other Republican incumbents, Lynn Mendelman is not seeking another term, and Joe Bloecker received the Republican nomination for town assessor. Deborah Klughers, an incumbent Democrat, also screened for the Republican nomination.
Bottini, a Springs resident, is a wildlife biologist, outdoor educator, and environmental consultant. He worked for the Group for the South Fork for 14 years, and has taught field ecology, environmental science, and natural history courses at St. Lawrence University, Southampton College, and CUNY. He also published three books.

This is his first time seeking political office. "As I said in the screening, if it weren't for the beaches and the water, I wouldn't be here," he joked. "There's a lot of very complex and tricky issues that are facing us now — that we've always been facing for a while, but we haven't been facing very well — it's come to a head with Sandy," he said explaining why he decided to run. "There's some water quality issues that I've been involved with for a long time that are getting some traction, specifically onsite septic systems.

Cooper has strong ties to the community He is a seventh generation resident of East Hampton, and his wife's family also has deep roots here. He owns and operates Thomas Cooper Construction, based in East Hampton.
A certified ocean lifeguard for 21 years, Cooper worked mostly for the Village of East Hampton. He is also a member of East Hampton Fire Department. 

He said he wanted to give back to the community, and thought the trustee position was the best way how. "I think it's the most important thing to serve — to serve the thing that's most important to our community," he said.

Curles is retired, but he worked for the town for many years, Knobel said, adding that he is a well-known recreational clammer and duck hunter.

Paridni and Curles could not be reached immediately for comment.

In February, the committee nominated Legis. Jay Schneiderman, I-Montauk, who screened with the Republicans and Democrats for the nomination. However, last month, Schneiderman declined the nomination, saying instead that he would seek reelection as the county supervisor.

Incumbent Supervisor Bill Wilkinson is not seeking reelection, though the Republicans announced their nomination for Schneiderman before Wilkinson had announced his decision. He did not screen with the Republicans, asking them instead to wait until March or April when he was ready to make up his mind, but they declined.

What do you think of the Republicans' selection for town trustee candidates? Tell us in the comments below.


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