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The Democratically controlled East Hampton Town Board appointed David Lys, a longtime Republican who recently filed to change his registration to the Democrats, to fill the board's vacant council seat on Thursday—though support for the appointment was not unanimous among the four voting members.
Councilman Jeffrey Bragman, who took office earlier this month, voted against Mr. Lys's appointment, saying that in conversations he had with Mr. Lys during the interview process the two had not seen eye-to-eye on some key topics.
I tell you in all candor that I had some concerns about issues that I thought we might not be on the same page on," Mr. Bragman said, highlighting questions about the airport, immigration and the use of the town's zoning code to improve quality of life for disadvantaged residents as points on which he had been dissatisfied with Mr. Lys's stance. "I say this knowing that David is a guy of great character and a great family but these are issues that were very important to me when I ran and I feel I have to vote in accordance with the things I said when I ran. So my vote is, respectfully, no."
"I'm hopeful," Mr. Bragman added, "that as we get to know each other better, the things that we share, the values that we share, particularly to protect the town that we love, are going to be much more important than the things that we differ on."
Mr. Lys, 41, said that he is proud and excited to have been chosen to fill the seat and said he is confident that he and Mr. Bragman will not find themselves very far apart on major issues.
"I wasn't looking for this, but when I'm asked to consider something to help my town, I think it's the right thing to do," Mr. Lys said on Thursday night of his being approached about the appointment. "I want to make sure that this town that I grew up in is the same for my kids when they grow up."
Mr. Lys has been on the town Zoning Board of Appeals since 2013. He works as a kinesiologist, manages several properties his family owns in Amagansett and runs Weekend Warrior paddling tours in the summertime. He is a father of four and lives in Springs.
Last year, members of the Town Board publicly applauded Mr. Lys's spearheading of the years-long effort to relocate and restore the Amagansett Life-Saving Station on Atlantic Avenue.
"As a father of young children and a local business owner, David is in tune with the everyday struggles working families face," Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc said in a statement announcing the plan to appoint Mr. Lys on Thursday. "He has been a strong advocate of the Democratic values embodied by the Town Board's efforts to protect the environment, preserve historic buildings, address coastal resiliency, increase public beach access and to maintain our quality of life. We welcome David and his energy, determination and thoughtful consideration to the work of the board."
Mr. Lys was chosen from a field of six candidates interviewed by the four Town Board members over the last two months. Among those also interviewed were fellow Zoning Board of Appeals members and veteran Democratic Party players, John Whelan and Cate Rogers.
Mr. Lys was, until very recently, a registered Republican, though he recently filed to switch his registration to the Democratic Party. He said that party affiliation is not something that means a lot to him.
"I'm Switzerland," he said. "I care about what happens between Townline Road and 2000 Montauk Highway, which is the Montauk Lighthouse. This town is what's important to me."
Once he is officially a Democrat, the party will control all five seats on the Town Board.
He takes over the Town Council seat vacated by Mr. Van Scoyoc earlier this month. Two years remain on Mr. Van Scoyoc's term, but Thursday's appointment is only for the remainder of 2018. The seat will be up for a special election on the November ballot this year, with the winner of that election holding the seat for what will then be the final year of the term. The seat will be on the ballot again in November 2019 for a full four-year term.
Also on Thursday night, the Town Board appointed Edward Krug to the Planning Board. Mr. Krug has served on the Architectural Review Board since 2015, when he was appointed to that board to complete the term of the late Ross Perchick.
He will take over from Diana Weir, a Republican whose term was over at the end of last year. Mr. Van Scoyoc said earlier this month that he and Ms. Weir had "agreed" that she would not be reappointed.
Mr. Krug is an architect and owner of a firm that specializes in modern renovations of dilapidated homes, rather than razing them and building new and larger structures.
The board also appointed Dianne Benson to take over Mr. Krug's seat on the ARB.
The East Hampton Town Board was expected to appoint David Lys to fill the board’s vacant council seat on Thursday.
Mr. Lys, 41, has been on the town Zoning Board of Appeals since 2013. He works as a kinesiologist, manages several properties his family owns in Amagansett and runs Weekend Warrior paddling tours in the summertime.
He is a father of four and lives in Springs.
Last year, members of the Town Board publicly applauded Mr. Lys’s spearheading of the years-long effort to relocate and restore the Amagansett Life Saving Station on Atlantic Avenue.
“As a father of young children and a local business owner, David is in tune with the everyday struggles working families face,” Supervisor Van Scoyoc said in a statement announcing the plans to appoint Mr. Lys. “He has been a strong advocate of the Democratic values embodied by the town board’s efforts to protect the environment, preserve historic buildings, address coastal resiliency, increase public beach access and to maintain our quality of life. We welcome David and his energy, determination and thoughtful consideration to the work of the board.”
Mr. Lys is a registered Democrat, giving the party control of all five seats on the Town Board. He will take over the Town Council seat vacated by Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc earlier this month.
Two years remain on Mr. Van Scoyoc’s term, but Thursday’s appointment is only for the remainder of 2018. The seat will be up for a special election on the November ballot this year, with the winner of that election holding the seat for what will then be the final year of the term. The seat will be on the ballot again in November 2019 for a full four-year term.
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on Jan 18, 2018