Jay Schneiderman Will Run For Southampton Town Supervisor

Suffolk County Legislator Jay Schneiderman officially announced on Friday that he will run for Southampton Town supervisor in this fall’s election.

Mr. Schneiderman was expected to get the Southampton Town Democratic Party’s endorsement at its nominating convention last night, May 27.

Mr. Schneiderman will seek to replace Anna Throne-Holst, who announced last week that she would not run for reelection to a fourth term in the supervisor’s office, and will instead join the race for the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Lee Zeldin for the 1st Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2016 national election.

Mr. Schneiderman made his announcement on Friday evening via a joint press release by his office and the Democratic Party.

“While I don’t have all the answers, what I do have is a wealth of experience and a willingness to reach out to all members of our community to develop consensus-driven solutions,” he said in the statement announcing his intentions. “I look forward to a spirited campaign filled with ideas about how to move Southampton forward, and I hope the residents of this extraordinary town will give me the opportunity to serve them in this new capacity as their town supervisor.”

It does not appear as though he will have to face Republican Councilwoman Christine Scalera in the supervisor's race. Ms. Scalera has declined to comment on her intentions but is expected to seek re-election to her a second four-year term on the council.

Veteran Southampton Village Trustee Richard Yastrzemski is still seen as the most likely nominee from the party to challenge Mr. Schneiderman.

The Southampton Republican Party will hold it's nominating convention tonight, May 28, at the Southampton Elks Lodge.

Mr. Schneiderman served two terms as the supervisor of East Hampton Town, from 2000 to 2004, both as a Republican, before running for the county post.

He switched his registration to the Independence Party in 2008 and has received cross-endorsements from the Democrats in three elections since then. Ms. Throne-Holst is also an Independence member who has been uniformly cross-endorsed by the Democratic Party, to which she is expected to change her registration to ahead of the congressional race.

Ms. Schneiderman will have served six two-year terms on the Suffolk County Legislature when his current term ends on December 31. He is prevented from seeking reelection again by the county’s term limits law.

Mr. Schneiderman lived most of his life in Montauk, where his family owns and operates a hotel. He has maintained a residence in Southampton for several years but had kept his permanent address and official residence in Montauk.

He switched his voter registration from his Montauk address to his current address in Hampton Bays, where he is renting a house, this month. He is building a house in Southampton Village that he expects to move into permanently this summer.

“I’ve been representing Southampton for 12 years—the office is in the town, and I started renting in Southampton nine years ago, when I put my kids into the Southampton School District,” Mr. Schneiderman said on Monday of his official leap from East Hampton to Southampton. “A number of people wanted me to come back to East Hampton and do that again”—meaning run for town office—“and one of the reasons I decided not to do that is that my children are in Southampton now.”

Mr. Schneiderman pointed to his record as East Hampton’s supervisor, and four years of tax cuts or flat tax rates, as a direct map of what he will be looking to bring to Southampton.

The Suffolk County Democratic Committee on May 20 officially nominated Southampton Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming to be the party’s candidate for the 2nd Legislative District seat that Mr. Schneiderman will be vacating at the end of the year. The 2nd Legislative District covers all of the South Fork, from Eastport to Montauk, and Shelter Island.

Ms. Fleming, who will have been on the Town Board for five years when her current term ends, announced earlier this month that she would be seeking the nomination. She would have been eligible to serve one more four-year term on the Town Board.

“Smart fiscal policy, defense of our environmental resources, and strong ethical reform in government have been key to protecting our community, and on the county government level, I believe I can extend this important work and make a positive impact in the county post,” Ms. Fleming, who lives in Noyac, said in a statement released by the party on Tuesday. “So many of our challenges, like water quality, transportation and energy issues, and an economy that meets the needs of the local community, require regional approaches and coordination among multiple towns. If elected, I will welcome the opportunity to work with colleagues countywide to meet those challenges.”

The Republican Party has not yet formally nominated its candidate to face Ms. Fleming, though party leaders have thrown their support behind political newcomer Amos Goodman, and local party leaders said no others have screened for potential nomination.