- RELATED ARTICLES
- > Bridget Fleming sworn in, helps push through gridlocked resolutions Mar 24, 2010 1:44 PM
- > Councilwoman Fleming privately sworn in Tuesday; ceremonial swearing-in planned Mar 18, 2010 5:38 PM
- > Fleming moves into Southampton Town Hall Mar 17, 2010 9:57 AM
- > Special election today for Southampton Town Board seat Mar 9, 2010 10:08 AM
- > Southampton Town Board candidates face off in final debate Mar 3, 2010 12:20 PM
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Bridget Fleming will be the newest member of the Southampton Town Board.
Ms. Fleming, an attorney, took 54.6 percent of the vote to Republican William Hughes’s 45.4 percent. She received 2,567 votes on the Democratic line and 636 votes on the Independence Party line, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Mr. Hughes, a retired Southampton Town Police lieutenant, received 2,662 votes.
“The Town Board has been in gridlock...” Ms. Fleming said while addressing the crowd at the Democrats’ election headquarters at 230 Elm in Southampton Village Tuesday night. “Now, we can really start working.”
Shortly after the results of the election became clear, Mr. Hughes thanked the crowd of over 50 people that gathered with him at Villa Tuscano in Hampton Bays, and said that he was surprised that... more
Ms. Fleming, an attorney, took 54.6 percent of the vote to Republican William Hughes’s 45.4 percent. She received 2,567 votes on the Democratic line and 636 votes on the Independence Party line, according to unofficial results from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.
Mr. Hughes, a retired Southampton Town Police lieutenant, received 2,662 votes.
“The Town Board has been in gridlock...” Ms. Fleming said while addressing the crowd at the Democrats’ election headquarters at 230 Elm in Southampton Village Tuesday night. “Now, we can really start working.”
Shortly after the results of the election became clear, Mr. Hughes thanked the crowd of over 50 people that gathered with him at Villa Tuscano in Hampton Bays, and said that he was surprised that... more
Here's a novel idea, how about someone we can trust. Nope, to simple.
Both candidates ran a good campaign. One wins one loses, thats the way it is, and you move on to the next one. Having said that, as a citizen of the town, I stand ready to give Ms. Fleming the opportunity to "show us what she's" got.
If taxes are your primary concern, look at your tax bill. Town candidates, regardless of party are put in the hot seat when taxes shoot up because of schools.
What is troubling, though, (and I felt the same in November before anyone attacks ...more me here) is this is a classsic, "tail wagging the dog" scenario. Frank McKay, and not the voters of Southampton determined who would win this seat.
Bridget won because this is a democracy and she got the most votes because she was the better candidate. This district has become overwhelmed with neocons, yet she still won because the actual "voters" were smart enough to make the sensible ...more choice.
"This "district" has become overwhelmed with neocons?" Please explain that one. What is a district? This was a town wide election with 42 election districts.
The point that I made, was that the margin of victory was ...more clearly due to the Independence line. Had Mr highes secured that line, he likely would have won. If you want to argue that point, go elsewhere, I am not getting onto that.
Who determined that Ms Fleming receive the Independence Line? Frank McKay who lives "up west"
Now I complimented Ms Fleming on her victory here, and that was indeed sincere. You havent heard sour grapes from me on this election or any other, no matter how you try to twist the words. The results are the results.
The voters may well determine who gets elected to office, but don't kid yourself, or attempt to act so naive, the parties determine who the voters vote for.
This was a SOUTHAMPTON special election. Maybe you should get your glasses checked.
ICE wrote:
@danhfarrell - Read this article which address the facts of their respective funding: http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=264091
Shame on you!
Now please have the professionalism to leave this posted.
So don't ever think it had anything to do with having integrity.
Sorry, for you that your man lost.... Happy for the balance of power his loss represents!
Now we can at least have an intelligent discussion between the 3 board members who actually give a damn about this town!
(5456 - 3203 = 2253). Hmmmmmm . . .
The first step will be for the Town Board members to attend ALL scheduled work sessions and Town Board meetings. Tomorrow's work session was cancelled by ATH just a couple of days ago, and there is still no press release on the Town website announcing this. [The work session "agenda" is the ATH memo.]
Shameful attendance record IMO, similar ...more to the first Town Board work session after New Years (also cancelled).
Let's go folks, you for US!
Mr.Hughes may have been great in the military, and a good police officer, but as the PBA ad in the Press said last week, "there is no letter 'I' in the word 'Team' ."
Top-heavy directorial management styles have no place in Town government. Teamwork is what we need.
Let's all pull together going forward.
The ...more voters have spoken loudly and clearly.
I want you to read that ad again. It essentially states thast the concept of "chain of command" or "table of organization" is nothing but poppycock. By the reasoning presented in the argument, the Chairman of General Motors is responsible only to his 2 Vice-Presidents, and not the thousands of employees under him.
PBR further bables:
Mr. Hughes's shock at losing by such a wide margin shows how out of touch he is with ...more the public's dissatisfaction with the old Republican men's club order in Southampton.
Fill me in on this "Republican Men's Club" Would you care to see the stats on the number of women involved in the town GOP? Just for once, PBR, YOU do the work and look it up, inquire and get the answer.
The "shock" sir was real. Mr Hughes knocked on more doors than any candidate in a while in a very short election cycle. ( I wish they were all this short)
I'll repeat what I said above, this is classic "tail wagging the dog"
Both candidates ran a good campaign. Congrats to Ms Fleming.
Mr. Hughes ran a good campaign, but apparently Bridget ran a better one.
Let's see what she is made of...
Despite very clear politcal philosohpical differences, both candidates and their volunteers deserve lot of credit for working extermely hard and with much passion, which produced a fairly high turnout for a special election. In that sense democracy was a winner.
That said when the final analysis is done, I suspect it will reveal that the unaffiliated voters (blanks and those who thought they truly registered as independent of any perty) were ...more the one who defined the outcome.
Again congratulations to Ms. Fleming and her team.
Nevertheless, your vote for Bridget was a smart one.
Remember everyone, elections have consequences, even if Terry doesn't like them. Congrats, Bridget!
My challenge is to you for claiming that the Independence Party is "more in keeping with Republican ideals"
I sure do believe that the party leaders have an agenda. Independent or "blank" voters may not, but most assuredly the "Independence Party" does.
In special election a very low % of the community votes...that is spec ted /normal
If you read an article in the Press you will learn they have almost the same amount of money....
Chris Nuzzi and Jim Malone put the final nail in Mr. Hughes' coffin at the last town board meeting. Thanks guys!
Its nice to see someone run (and win) for elected position that is in it for the right reason, public service. That's what its really about. I find it so unfortunate that some politicos out there (in both towns, and I don't know the impetus for Mr. Hughes' campaign) who run (and unfortunately win) on a campaign based on grudges, bad faith, promises for political favors and revenge. That is how both Towns got and will continue to get into trouble.
We need more Bridgets!
the point is she spent more and got less in a time when we need to spend less and get more. Hope this isnt an indication of how effective she will be on the town board.
You and rabblerouser, however can go back under your rock where you feel most comfortable.
Had Mr. Hughes pledged to reform Town policy that allows unqualified cops to stay on the payroll at a cost of a million plus dollars a year, he would have won.
We may not be ideological, but were ARE frugal.
Perhaps next time.
That aside, congrats to Ms Fleming
I wish her well in her representing the interests of the Town's residents.
Thank you for your productive and intelligent posts here and on other article message boards.
Is your full name Terry Flanagan per your 2/26 post (2:09 PM) under another article here, and were you ever associated with Mr. Hughes's campaign?
Just curious for the facts, not some slam-down ad hominem attack.
I couldn't agree more, with all due respect to Bill Hughes being a very good man.
It was Marietta Seaman and some of her republican cronies that caused this debacle. Help from Seaman is like the kiss of death, no one has any respect for the former town clerk. She was elected and then left for an up island job paying 150k. The robo call with her voice was a waste of time and money.
The only saving grace is that the Reps still have the majority.
These dems are scary ...more with their liberal agenda.
Personally I thought Ms. Molinaro was a strong but unknown candidate who had a bright future with the Republican Party, if she had been willing (and she still maybe for all I know) and capable of doing the groundwork of getting to know the committee members as opposed to being thrust upon them.
But I think ...more both the heavy handed tactics of trying to force her canidacy upon the party and the petulant conduct of her benefactor in the aftermath has left her a pretty steep uphill road, if that remained her intention.
Your commentary on Mrs. Seaman is a head scratcher to me. Sounds like you have a personal ax to grind as opposed to an informed opinion.
I have no ax to grind, this is just my opinion. Again, with all do respect to Mr. Hughes, I believe Ms. Molinaro would have been the winner last night if she had gotten the nomination. With 3 lines she could not have lost. Why did the conservative's leave the line blank? I don't look at the situation as annointing Thiele's hand picked candidate. I look at it as a win for a republican. So you would rather cut your nose off to spite your face?
Moving forward, Bishop has to go for sure, maybe Thiele too.
That means Nuzzi and Malone will have an edge to gum things up if that's what the GOP wants. Hopefully they will put the needs of the town first and not the need to make Throne-Holst look ineffective ...more because they keep blocking her. But if they try to do that, I hope the voters pay attention.
But, even with the edge, there is still hope that Throne-Holst can muster 3 votes now and then with help from Graboski. The most stupid thing the GOP did was stab her in the back because of Zizzi and deny her the nomination. This showed those watching that if you want to be a GOP candidate for re-election, you better not vote your conscience ever. You must always do as told. Woke me up as to how mean spirited they can be.
If I were betting, I'd say that Chris Nuzzi and Jim Malone may well do just that, and vote against whatever the Supervisor presents, Bridget Fleming will be inclined to support ATH on many (though ...more not all) issues, and Nancy Graboski will often be the swing vote.
I wouldn't be projecting like this so early in the game if Mr. Nuzzi and Mr. Malone hadn't already shown their Party-of-No colors all this year. Also, I believe it's a good thing if our elected officials know that we'll be watching them, and what we'll be watching for.
The republican party(according to the RNC) believes in deregulation, that corporations are equal to individuals, that insurance company profits are more important than health care, that banks and wall street should regulate themselves, that there is no room for government outside of tax breaks to the ...more rich and big business, that the free market is the answer to all evils - just to name a few.
More often than not, a candidate identifies themselves as a Republican or Democrat because they agree with that party's principles. As I said, that is not always the case, but more often than not it is. Hughes is the perfect example of someone who tows the party line. He proudly calls himself a conservative and time and again answered questions with republican party talking points. I vote for the candidate, not the party, but I look at the party first.
But I do understand what your point.
My wish is that independents could participate in the primaries so we don't get stuck ...more with these polarizing candidates. A little moderation could do us all good.
On a local level, I would challenge our representatives to make decisions based on what is best for the people, not the party. Do any of them have the guts to do so?
You want hope and change? Check back with me on Nov 11th.
Viva Le Moderates!
You guys just won't be happy until this liberal democrat agenda of ATH and Bridget ruin this town. The members on the TB can't always agree on issues. Did ATH and Nuzzi always agree with the past supervisor? ...more Anyone care to answer?
Ms. ATH ran on consensus building and bringing parties together? But all she has done is complain how obstructive the Rep have been and how the TB needs balance. Is that consensus building?????
Problem here is that ATH can't get along with others that disagree with her.
I'm sure the liberals will turn this town around but only for the worse outcome ever.
Here's what I foresee as the debate in the Town Council. The Repugs will want to raise fees for everything and fire people. The Demogs will want to do the same thing but will couch their approbation in REALLY, REALLY apologetic language. (The Repugs will be apologetic too, but, since they are social darwinists, not nearly so sincere.)
Neither will say ...more bupkes about the twenty-seven cops @ $3.6M/yr. who are still on the payroll years after they should have retired and been replaced with new hires at 1/3 the cost.
Here's an idea for future consideration, just retire a few of them, just six of them, as Linda Kabot and the Chief of Police wanted to do in 2008. Use the hundreds of thousands of dollars saved thereby to mitigate the fees to use the beach, or to get a building permit, or to get a permit to run a (whatever)business.
Hey, you could, at least, put it on the agenda for a Town Council meeting. Then, if the STPD PBA members appear en masse in uniform, you could fire them, as you should have the first time, for insubordination.
Be warned, though, the PBA and the NYS Assn. of PBAs will sue for the violation of their right to be insubordinate. Just think of this as the cost of doing business. At this point in the development of the republic, it is safe to say that anyone who deprives anyone of anything that the latter think they deserve will be sued, as long as the allegedly deprived person has the cash to hire a lawyer.
We have been filled up with so much garbage that we have come to expect it, and worse ...more yet tolerate it.
You state that 15% turnout is on the high side for a special election. Can you recall any contested special election in Southampton Town that had a lower turnout?
So the 15% plus is charecterized as high compared with the rule of thumb for this type of election elsewhere which is 10%. You might look back to Assemblyman Fred Thiele's first election to the NYS Assembly which was also an off season special election and ...more draw some comparison there as part of the district encompasses Southampton should you choose to reject my assertion of the 10% rule of thumb.
Would that have been a "special election" since it would be held coincident with a general election, or an "interim election?"
The claim that this condition of being fully engaged argues against ...more doing "more projects" employs a false premise, i.e., that doing all the paving that's needed this year (instead of just half) means "more projects". It doesn't mean that; it means that the same people will simply be doing the job to completion rather than stopping partway through while their boss goes back to the Town Board for money that should have been allotted in the first place.
If I'm wrong, and it's true that allocating the full amount that's needed for this year's paving would in fact necessitate further borrowing, I submit that this has to be done regardless. It's hard to think of a Town function more fundamental to the people's safety and promoting economic growth than keeping the roads in good repair.