Those who knew Richard Spooner, a former mayor of Southampton Village, remember him as a born administrator.The Greenport resident, who served as mayor from 1989 to 1993, died at the Shores at Peconic Landing on Monday, October 5, at the age of 93. A funeral service was held on Friday, October 9, at the Southold Presbyterian Church.
Bill Hattrick, also a former mayor and now a member of the Southampton Village Board, described Mr. Spooner as “the original straight-shooter,” someone who was passionate about his work and always got tasks done in a respectful and fiscally responsible way.
Mr. Hattrick, who himself served as mayor from 1985 until 1989, was the one who recommended that Mr. Spooner, a former principal of Southampton High School, run for the post after he served on the Village Board.
“I thought that he would be a great choice for it,” Mr. Hattrick said this week. “I thought, he’s someone who would never want to waste a dollar, and he just loved the village, and so he going to run it as smoothly as possible.”
Mr. Hattrick said he will never forget one of Mr. Spooner’s brilliant yet logical ideas: In 1987, the village purchased Dune Beach and installed a walkway from the parking lot to the beach, and Mr. Spooner added bathrooms there when he became mayor. “It was such an obvious thing,” Mr. Hattrick said with a laugh. “He was just as good as it comes.”
Mr. Spooner was passionate about everything, Mr. Hattrick recalled, but he loved planting trees to add beauty to the village. “If he cared about something, he did something about it. He wasn’t just one to muse about something—he was an activist. If he thought we needed more trees, he was going to plant them. He loved to plant them.”
Current Village Mayor Mark Epley said that while he didn’t know Mr. Spooner well, he knew enough of his legacy as the village’s leader. “He was a good guy. He cared about the community,” Mr. Epley said. “He did a lot for this village. He will be missed.”
Mr. Hattrick noted that after Mr. Spooner moved to the North Fork, they didn’t talk as much. But regardless, he will still always hold a place in his heart for his former colleague.
“I loved the man. I thought he was wonderful,” Mr. Hattrick said. “He cared about everybody here. I thought he just did a great job.”
Memorial donations may be made to the Southold or the Southampton Presbyterian church, or the Southampton Historical Society.
on Oct 14, 2015