Scalera Mulling Run For Supervisor In Southampton Town; Schneiderman Will Seek Another Term

Candidates for Southampton Town positions are starting to ramp up their campaigns for the November 5 election.

Along with the Southampton town supervisor position, two Town Board seats are up for grabs, all five Town Trustee seats are up for renewal, and the tax receiver and one justice seat are set to expire.

Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman said on Monday that he will seek a third two-year term, as there is still a lot he wants to accomplish in the town.

“I love what I do,” he said. “I feel like with my colleagues on the Town Board … We are getting a lot accomplished.”

Town Board member Christine Scalera’s term is up at the end of the year, but she is prohibited from seeking re-election due to term limits. On Monday, Ms. Scalera, a Republican, said she is “seriously considering” a run for town supervisor, but has not yet made a final decision.

“I can tell you that I feel honored to be able to do what I do, and I would consider myself fortunate to be able to continue to serve and contribute as the supervisor of the town,” she said. “As a legislator and policy maker, it is humbling to hear people asking you not to leave, and I sincerely appreciate that.”

But with Southampton Town Community Preservation Fund Manager Mary Wilson’s position opening up following her retirement on January 31, some have suggested that Mr. Schneiderman would offer the seat to Ms. Scalera in an effort to keep her from challenging him in November.

When asked on Monday about whether he would offer the CPF position to Ms. Scalera, Mr. Schneiderman said he did not know if she would be interested in the position, but that she would certainly be capable of serving in the role.

“She’s an attorney … and she’s very familiar with CPF,” Mr. Schneiderman said of Ms. Scalera. “If she were to apply, she would be a great candidate.

Ms. Scalera did not respond to questions about whether she would considering screening for the position, but Mr. Schneiderman said that if she did, her seat on the board could remain open until the new board members are sworn in next year.

David Betts, the Southampton Town Republican Committee chairman declined to comment about the party’s plans for November. He added that the party would be screening potential candidates in February. Names of those seeking office are expected to be revealed during the Republican Party nominating convention, tentatively scheduled on February 22 at Villa Paul in Hampton Bays.

Town Board member and Democratic Party member John Bouvier is also up for re-election this year. Mr. Bouvier said he was undecided about whether he would seek a second term, but that he was happy to have served on the board for the past three years.

Southampton Town Democratic Committee Chairman Gordon Herr, however, said on Tuesday that he was confident that Mr. Bouvier would, in fact, seek re-election. He also said the party is currently screening candidates to run for Ms. Scalera’s seat.

The Democratic Party nominating convention will take place at the Southampton Inn on February 13, where the names of those seeking office will be revealed and official candidates selected.

All five Trustee seats are also up for re-election this year—each term is two years.

Republicans Ed Warner, who is seeking a fifth term, and Scott Horowitz, who is seeking his fourth term, along with Bruce Stafford, a Conservative Party member who is seeking his third term, said this week that they will run for re-election to their seats. Mr. Warner suggested this may be his last run.

Trustee Bill Pell, a member of the Independence Party who is in his fifth term, said he will run for a sixth term, but Trustee Ann Welker, a Democrat, declined to say whether she would seek a second term. Ms. Welker became the first woman to serve as a Southampton Town Trustee in 2018.

Mr. Herr, however, said that he believed that Ms. Welker would run for re-election.

The party also plans to field candidates against Republican Tax Receiver Theresa Kiernan and Town Justice Gary Weber, also a Republican, Mr. Herr said, but declined to say whether the party had any candidates in mind.

This week, Ms. Kiernan said she would run for a fourth, four-year term and Justice Weber said he was running for a second, four-year term.

The State Legislature moved local and state primary elections to June this year, when in years past, they were held in September. The advancement has political parties scrambling to conduct the candidate screening and nomination process, and while deadlines have not been finalized by the Legislature, petitions are expected to begin circulating by February 26.

Petitions must be submitted to the Suffolk County Board of Elections by April 4.

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