Letters

I am delighted to have been nominated by the Southampton Town Democratic Committee to run for Southampton Town Council in the special election on March 18. Many thanks to the committee for choosing me to represent our community’s vital local priorities in this election.

For those not acquainted with me, I live in Hampton Bays with my husband of six years, Eugenio Valle, and our 2-year-old Chihuahua, Timmy. I have lived on the East End since 2012, initially settling in Sag Harbor.

I own a thriving litigation firm located in the Hampton Atrium. With over two decades of experience representing clients in a variety of practice areas, I have developed an advanced skillset that has prepared me for elected office — representing clients in high stakes lawsuits, interpreting relevant legal authorities, advising clients through difficult settlement negotiations and trying cases before judge and jury.

An active community advocate, I donate my spare time to causes and interests that are dear to me. I have provided many years of pro bono legal services to victims of domestic violence and indigent litigants through such local charities as The Retreat. Volunteering with the town’s East End Regional Intervention Court since 2017, I have helped criminal defendants obtain much-needed substance abuse treatment and long-lasting sobriety. As an appointed member of the Town of Southampton Zoning Board of Appeals since 2022, I have rendered variance decisions that balance property owners’ interests against impacts on the community. My work on the board is available on SeaTV, available on youtube.com.

Recently, I co-founded the Hampton Bays Alliance, a not-for-profit civic organization that delivers valuable educational programming to the public about such critical issues as community development and revitalization, land use, affordable housing and, most importantly, how municipal government works. Information about and video of our meetings can be found at hamptonbaysalliance.com.

Through the alliance, we embrace the core values of civility, inclusivity and progress, promoting civil public discourse and creating a respectful forum for people of differing backgrounds and opinions to gather, learn about the issues and discuss reasonable compromise solutions. We also get results: our successful advocacy for the Hampton Bays Pattern Book before the Town Council was crucial to its passage.

My endeavors demonstrate that I possess the competence and work ethic necessary to advance community priorities like affordable housing, public safety, water quality, traffic mitigation, and support for local businesses, and to help resolve the Westwoods and Liberty Gardens litigation.

I look forward to discussing these matters with you in the coming weeks, in person, in these pages, and in detail, and answering the ultimate question: How do I plan to foster positive, lasting change in the town for years to come?

John Leonard

Hampton Bays