With 20 Years on the Job, Mayor Wants 4 More

Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said that he will seek another term in hopes of a sixth election victory on June 19. A win would add another four years to his 20 year run.

He has served the longest of the 11 mayors in the 90-year history of the village, according to Village Administrator Larry Cantwell. 

On the Hook Mill Party line, Rickenbach will run with his three of his fellow board members.

, who has served as deputy mayor and looking for her fourth term, and Trustee Richard T. Lawler, who is finishing his first term, are also seeking re-election for another four years, as part of the team, Rickenbach said.

Bruce A. Siska, a former member of the village zoning board was to fill a , who resigned, is also putting his name on the ballot. He will look to fill Brown's unexpired term of two years.

"Believe it or not — it's hard to believe for me — I will be finishing up my 20th year as mayor in June. It's an awesome thought," he said. "The time has gone by so quickly. I'm honored to serve in that capacity."

Rickenbach has actually been on the board since 1988, when he was appointed to fill an unexpired term. A few years later, when Mayor Ken Wessberg died, Rickenbach stepped up to lead the village.

He said he has run opposed twice before, but doesn't expect opposition this time around. "To date no one has signed they would like to obtain nominating petitions," to run against any of the board members, he said.

Nominating petitions are due by May 15.

For Borsack, serving on the village board is like community service. "I've lived in the village my whole life, on property that's been in my family for 200 years. The village to me, is part of who I am," she said. "It's what you do for a place you love." 

The Hook Mill Party is something that was coined during Rickenbach's first year as mayor. "We historically have not really allowed politics to play a part in government exercise in the village," he said. "We listen to any and all folks who have something of substance to bring to the village board."

The fourth trustee, Elbert T. Edwards, will be up for re-election in 2014.

Rickenbach retired from the East Hampton Village Police Department as a Detective Sergeant in September of 1982 after 24 years on the job. He went into corporate security before joining the board. He said he no longer works outside village government.