Martel Edges Leonard in Southampton Town Special Election for Board Seat - 27 East
logo logo logo logo

Sag Harbor Express

Government / News / Southampton Press / Government / News / Sag Harbor Express / 2346526

Martel Edges Leonard in Southampton Town Special Election for Board Seat

icon 3 Photos
Rick Martel

Rick Martel

John Leonard

John Leonard

Democratic chairman Gordon Herr, left, and Town Board candidate John Leonard check results on Election Night. STEPHEN J. KOTZ

Democratic chairman Gordon Herr, left, and Town Board candidate John Leonard check results on Election Night. STEPHEN J. KOTZ

authorStephen J. Kotz on Mar 18, 2025
Former Republican Southampton Town Councilman Rick Martel defeated Democrat John Leonard on Tuesday in a special election for an open Town Board seat, 3,092-2,738, with Martel receiving 53 percent of... more

Related Stories

You May Also Like:

Hank's Hawks Are a Common Sight, if You Pay Attention

Everyone here knows about Hank’s Pumpkintown in Water Mill. Hank’s hosts fall festivities starting in ... by Marianne Barnett

Open Play Is a Place To Meet, Make New Friends

Hello from Bluffton, South Carolina. I’ve been “snowbirding” in the South for the past eight ... by Vinny Mangano

Corish, Plumb Will Run Again in Sag Harbor Village

Two long-serving incumbents on the Sag Harbor Village Board, Aidan Corish and Bob Plumb, have ... by Stephen J. Kotz

William Barry Formerly of Sag Harbor Dies March 10

William Barry, formerly of Sag Harbor, died on March 10. He was 77. In late ... by Staff Writer

SOFO and Partners Rebuild Mashashimuet Park Osprey Nest

The South Fork Natural History Museum teamed up with Mashashimuet Park, local businesses, students and ... by Staff Writer

Schiavoni Gets First Bill Passed in Albany, a Tax Break for Southampton Town Property Owners

Freshman State Assemblyman Tommy John Schiavoni was successful in getting his first bill through the ... by Stephen J. Kotz

Breaking Open

The geese have grazed all that is left. They take surviving collards to stubs; there are bald patches in the rye. The carrots we passed over are mined out, gnawed like only a goose bill could, conically downward into the dirt. The oats are bleached linen white. A few more days of winter, and there is no icy grip. It is the witch hazel that gets the show rolling. Not as common as forsythia, and not always yellow, the early blooming tree is the most obvious thing in the landscape, because it glows. Honeybees, nearby scavenging for crocus, are secured ... by Marilee Foster

True Colors

One of my favorite things to read in these pages is the coverage given to recipients of affordable housing, sometimes in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity. Imagine my surprise when I read in The New Republic that “The FBI is moving to criminalize groups like Habitat for Humanity for receiving grants from the Environmental Protection Agency under the Biden administration.” Under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, grants were made available to groups like Habitat for Humanity to incorporate energy-saving ideas in their housing programs. In retaliation, Donald Trump’s FBI directed the financial intermediary, Citibank, to freeze bank accounts for ... by Staff Writer

Twisted Promises

Many people voted for Donald Trump because he promised to get rid of all of those violent, law-breaking illegal immigrants so we could feel safe again. So, how is that going? Trump announced with much fanfare that he would ship hundreds of them, thousands, maybe, to the horrible conditions at Guantánamo Bay. That has been a colossal failure. Only a few hundred passed through (flown there on our very expensive military planes). There was no need for the gigantic, uninhabitable tent, or the thousands of American military sent there to guard them. This publicity stunt cost the American taxpayer, by ... by Staff Writer

Learning From Coach Vishno

Althea Gibson, the trailblazing African American female athlete, famously said, “No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.” I’ve had several of those somebodies who helped me in my life. One of them was Bob Vishno, the iconic coach at Pierson High School from the 1950s to the 1980s. On March 7, Coach died of natural causes at his home in Sag Harbor at the age of 93. A local reporter asked me upon his passing how long I had known Coach Vishno. For a moment, I was stumped. I couldn’t remember when I didn’t know Coach Vishno. When ... by Fred W. Thiele, Jr.