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After spending some time out of the spotlight, former Southampton Town Supervisor Linda Kabot has returned, front and center, to the stage of politics—and this time her self-proclaimed role is to offer town residents a choice at the polls in November.
Forty pounds slimmer and possessing a renewed vigor, Ms. Kabot is preparing to take on Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst by waging a write-in campaign. The former supervisor made her announcement public on Wednesday, September 21.
“Clearly, the supervisor’s race makes this a race,” Ms. Kabot said this week. “The election is boring, quite frankly, without a supervisor challenger. So I’m stepping up to offer the voters an alternative to the incumbent and to encourage them to exercise their right to choose.”
Ms. Throne-Holst, who has been endorsed by the Democratic, Independence, and Working Families parties, is the only supervisor candidate who will appear on this year’s ballot. The Republican Party did not endorse a candidate after current Town Councilman Chris Nuzzi declined the party’s nomination last spring.
Ms. Kabot said she plans to seek support from an independent, grassroots base. While she said she expects to receive support from a majority of Republican Party committee members, the town GOP will not formally support her candidacy along with those of Bill Hughes and Christine Preston Scalera, who are the Republican candidates for two Town Board seats.
This week, Bill Wright, the new chairman of the Southampton Town Republican Committee, said he’s not considering endorsing Ms. Kabot. He added that Ms. Kabot met with the new leadership of the party at its reorganizational meeting last week.
“I’m not considering anything at this time,” Mr. Wright said. “We’re focused on the candidates we have right now on the Republican line.”
Ms. Throne-Holst said Ms. Kabot’s write-in campaign will not alter her reelection strategy. “I think a write-in candidacy is a complicated prospect,” she said. “She doesn’t have a party behind her.”
A registered Republican who lives in Quogue, Ms. Kabot, 43, served as Southampton Town supervisor in 2008 and 2009, and as a member of the Town Board from 2002 until 2007. She was defeated in the 2009 general election by Ms. Throne-Holst, who is registered with the Independence Party.
As Ms. Kabot tells it, the idea of pursuing a write-in campaign was gradual. Many supporters approached her throughout the past year, she said, and asked her if it was okay if they wrote her name down in the write-in box on the ballot. Ms. Kabot said she spent a lot of time explaining to people how to do that correctly.
“After a while of telling people this, it became, ‘Well, why the heck do I not step up and offer my name, my strength of character, my credentials for supervisor as a challenger?’” she said.
Earlier this year, the GOP scrambled to find other potential supervisor candidates after its first choice, Mr. Nuzzi, declined the nomination. There was also speculation that Town Councilwoman Nancy Graboski, whose term expires at the end of this year and cannot seek reelection to her seat due to term limits, would take a stab at the supervisor’s seat. But Ms. Graboski said she plans to retire from public office later this year in order to spend time with her family. Various other potential candidates reportedly declined the nomination as well.
Ms. Kabot said this week that she did have conversations with GOP officials—whom she declined to identify—about whether or not she should make a run against Ms. Throne-Holst. “Now I am really stepping up, and it’s too late to put my name on the ballot,” Ms. Kabot said. “And who wants to vote for a blank box as the only alternative to the current supervisor?”
Southampton Town Democratic Committee Chairman Gordon Herr said this week that he does not view Ms. Kabot as a serious candidate. He added that his party’s campaign strategy will not change now that the former supervisor has entered the fray. He also noted that other party members were not fazed by the announcement.
“Quite honestly, it’s not a major news item,” Mr. Herr said. “We’re really not talking about it particularly.”
He also said he does not think that Ms. Kabot has a shot at unseating Ms. Throne-Holst. In 2009, Ms. Throne-Holst received almost 58 percent of all ballots cast, while Ms. Kabot, the then-incumbent, received approximately 42 percent.
“She certainly doesn’t compare with Anna,” Mr. Herr said. “Anna’s much more effective, and she’s a better supervisor.”
Earlier this year, Ms. Kabot filed a notice of claim—a precursor to a lawsuit—against the Village of Westhampton Beach and officials in the Westhampton Beach Police Department. The notice relates to claims that her civil rights were violated in September 2009 when Westhampton Beach Police officers pulled her over and charged her with DWI. Ms. Kabot, who was seeking reelection at the time, was acquitted of the charge in February.
The notice of claim has been placed “on the back burner,” Ms. Kabot said, adding that the purpose of filing it was to reserve her rights to sue at a later date.
Rohma Abbas on Sep 21, 2011