Job Potter Appointed To Town Planning Board

During the East Hampton Town Board's first meeting of 2014, two Democratic candidates in the November election were appointed to the town planning and zoning boards.

The East Hampton Town Board unanimously appointed Job Potter, who ran for town board with Councilwoman Kathee Burke-Gonzalez and Supervisor Larry Cantwell on the Democratic ticket, to a seven-year term on the planning board. He will replace J.P. Foster.

Meanwhile, the appointment of Cate Rogers to the Zoning Board of Appeals, where she will serve as the vice chairwoman, a position she previously held, was less smooth. 

While Councilman Fred Overton supported the Democratic majority board on Potter's appointment, he voted against Rogers' appointment, as she replaces Lee White on the board. 

Overton said he is very good friends with White and his family, and just couldn't support Rogers' appointment. He said he had hoped Foster and White would have been given more time to serve. When it came to Potter's appointment, he said Potter, whom Overton worked with as town clerk when Potter was on the town board, was a gentleman during the campaign and was well suited for the position.

Potter, a former town councilman from 1998 to 2005, finished third in a four-way race for two seats in November.

Rogers, who ran unsuccessfully for town trustee in November, was previously appointed to the ZBA in 2004, and served for six years, four as vice chair. Her term on the board will expire on Dec. 31, 2018. She replaces Don Cirillo, a Republican, as vice chair, an appointment that only lasts one year. Cirillo's term is not up yet. 

Alex Walters was re-appointed as the chairperson on the ZBA. The board also re-appointed Reed Jones as the chairman of the planning board, and Nancy Keeshan will continue to serve as vice chair. Robert Schwagel was also re-apponted as chairman of the Architectural Review Board, and Rossetti Perchik will contiue to serve as vice chair.

All chair and vice chair positions are for one year.

The town attorneys were also officially appointed. Cantwell announced last month that Elizabeth (Liz) Vail would be the new town attorney, and John Jilnicki, who was the town attorney under Bill Wilkinson's administration, would be an assistant town attorney. Elizabeth (Beth) Baldwin, a former town attorney who left when Wilkinson took office, and Michael Sendlenski, who, like Vail, came to East Hampton from Southampton Town, will also serve as assistant town attorneys.

With Carole Brennan, who served under Overton as the deputy town clerk, being sworn in as town clerk on Thursday, Jean A. Hamilton was appointed deputy town clerk.

Kevin Ahearn will continue to serve as deputy highway superintendent under Superintendent Stephen Lynch.