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Government / News / Southampton Press / 1497948

Lt. William Hughes named Republican nominee for vacant Southampton Town Board seat

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authorJoseph Shaw, Executive Editor on Jan 14, 2010

William Hughes of Hampton Bays, a Southampton Town Police lieutenant, was selected as the Southampton Town Republican Committee’s candidate for the special election to fill the Town Board seat vacated by Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst.

Lt. Hughes, who won in a landslide against two other hopefuls for the nomination, said he is anticipating that he will also secure an endorsement from the Southampton Town Independence Party.

After winning the Republican nomination at the GOP convention held Wednesday night at Villa Tuscano in Hampton Bays, Lt. Hughes expressed confidence he would win the special election as well: “The opponent is a lady from Manhattan,” he said, referring to the Democratic nominee, Bridget Fleming, “and my roots are deep and strong and go all the way to Noyac.”

Lt. Hughes would have to retire from the police department, where he oversees all uniformed officers, if elected to the Town Board during the special election on March 9.

He secured 2,248 votes from committee members. Rebecca Molinaro of Remsenburg secured 1,117 votes and Dr. Tod Granger of Sag Harbor garnered 721 votes. Scott Horowitz of East Quogue bowed out of the race due to a family issue.

Each member of the Republican committee casts a vote in the selection process. Their votes are weighted based on the results of a prior gubernatorial election and their electoral district’s population, leading to the inflated number of votes cast for each candidate.

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