Amagansett Wins Budget Super-Majority, Incumbent Ousted In Springs

Voters in Amagansett on Tuesday night gave the school district the super-majority support it needed to let it exceed the state-mandated tax cap with its 2016-17 operating budget.

The $10,473,428 budget was approved with 121 'yes' votes and 70 'no' votes, a 63-percent margin of support. State law requires that any budget that results in a tax levy increase higher than the cap set each year by the state be approved with at least 60 percent of the vote.

Voters in all of the town's other four school districts also approved their respective proposed budgets. Amagansett was the only district in East Hampton Town to propose piercing the tax cap. The Bridgehampton School District's budget, which had also exceeded the tax cap, was likewise approved by the requisite super-majority margin at the polls.

In the races for school board seats, incumbents largely won new terms on their respective school boards. The lone exception was in Springs, where incumbent Adam Wilson lost his seat, with two newcomers winning the two seats on the ballot.

Mr. Wilson, who was seeking a second three-year term on the school board, received just 131 votes, while first-time challengers David Conlon and Amy Rivera received 335 and 333 respectively. Carole Campolo received one write-in vote.

The $27,630,067 Springs district budget was approved 314 to 127. A proposition asking voters to approve the district's purchase of a $121,000 new school bus was approved 289 to 147.

In East Hampton, three incumbent school board members were reelected by broad margins. J.P. Foster got 416 votes, Wendy Geehreng 397, and Richard Wilson 362, while challenger Alison Anderson got 224.

District voters approved the $66,721,301 budget by a 5-to-1 margin, 440 to 86. The tax rate in the district is expected to increase by less than 1 percent.

In Montauk, the ballots brought some strange twists to the otherwise humdrum count. Patti Leber was officially uncontested in her quest for a sixth term on the board, and received 149 votes in her favor. Cynthia Ibrahim and Thomas Flight were challenging each other for the right to finish the final three years of Jason Biondo's 5-year term after he resigned earlier this year. Mr. Flight received 163 votes, Ms. Ibrahim just 53. But Ms. Ibrahim also received 27 write-in votes on the line for the full-term seat held by Ms. Leber. Mr. Flight received two write-ins on that line also, as did Nick Finazzo, Vaughn Cutillo, Dustin Lightcap and Vincent Biondo, who each received one write-in vote.

The district's spending forecast for 2016-17 called for a $18,978,163 budget, a $15,000 decrease over the current budget, which voters approved 184 to 34. Tax rates will rise less than 1 percent.

In Wainscott, William Babinski was unopposed and received 49 votes. The $3,036,916 budget was approved 40-0.

In Amagansett, two newcomers, Hank Muchnic and Kristen Peterson, were unopposed to fill two vacated seats on the school board. Ms. Muchnic received 139 votes, Ms. Peterson received 151.

The Amagansett budget increased spending by just $35,949 over 2015-16 but required a $327,390 increase to the amount raised by taxes, a 3.7-percent hike, whereas the state tax cap this year allowed increases of less than 1 percent. Voters also approved the Amagansett Library Budget, 165 to 28.

We're delighted and appreciative that the community has supported our budget which means we can continue programs for our children," district Superintendent Elanor Tritt said on Tuesday night after the vote.

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