Manger Wins Reelection as Mayor; Coburn and Stevenson Win Seats on Southampton Village Board

By a narrower margin than some may have expected, Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger won reelection to a second term after defeating challenger Ed Simioni on Friday night.

Manger received a total of 622 votes, while Simioni, who ran for mayor while halfway through his first two-year term as a village trustee, collected 510 votes.

Rob Coburn, who challenged two incumbent trustees, had the most votes of the five candidates, garnering 655 to win a seat on the Village Board for the first time. He unseated Trustee Robin Brown, who was seeking what would have been her third term. She fell short, with 455 votes.

Her running mate, Roy Stevenson, won reelection as trustee for a third term, collecting 654 votes, just one less than Coburn.

“I am honored to be reelected as the mayor of Southampton Village,” Manger said after the results were tallied. “I look forward to continuing the good work we have begun with the Board of Trustees. I congratulate Roy Stevenson, and welcome Rob Coburn to the board. I thank Robin Brown for her dedicated service to the village.”

The eventual winners were in the lead after the in-person votes were tallied when polls closed at 9 p.m., but it took until after 11 p.m. for all the absentee ballots to be counted.

Coburn was the star of the night, garnering more votes than any other candidate, with his message of being an independent voice and advocating for better communication from the board to residents seemingly resonating with many voters.

“It seemed like the voters of Southampton liked the idea of more independent thinking, so I certainly appreciate that,” he said. “I want to thank the voters of the village for the trust they placed in me.”

He thanked the mayor and Stevenson, and commended Brown for her years of service to the village.

Coburn reflected on what the village electorate seemed to be saying by electing Manger to another term while also elevating him to a seat on the board.

“Southampton Village wants more transparency and better communication, but it also wants that change to be balanced with continuity,” he said. “I will work within that mandate that the electorate has given us all. I’ve had productive and longstanding working relationships with all of my fellow board members and look forward to that continuing, even if we disagree on certain issues.”

He said he was looking forward to getting to work on addressing some of the most pressing issues the village faces, including the long stalled effort to create a sewer district, as well as working toward creating more workforce housing and revitalizing the business district.

Brown was the subject of scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the election because of an ethics complaint that was filed against her by Southampton Village resident David Rung, a frequent critic of the administration. The complaint alleged that Brown had improperly attended two ticketed events, free of charge. One was at the Met Opera, as a guest of Barbara Tober and Peter Marino, the renowned architect and art collector who owns the Peter Marino Art Foundation on Jobs Lane.

Brown has stated that she shares a friendship with both Marino and Tober, and the event was also a birthday celebration for Tober, who turned 90 last year.

The Southampton Village Ethics Board found Brown had violated the ethics code in those instances, a decision that Manger and the rest of the trustees except Simioni agreed with. The village then sought out and paid for an outside opinion from an ethics expert, who exonerated Brown, though the Ethics Board stood by its decision.

Brown vigorously defended herself publicly in the weeks leading up to the election. In the wake of her loss, she was gracious, saying that it had been an “honor and privilege” to serve.

“The joy of serving as trustee is something for which I am truly grateful,” she said.

While Simioni did not ultimately take the mayor’s seat from Manger, he said he still considered his campaign a success.

He seemed to have a sense that he would not defeat Manger once the in-person votes were tallied on Friday night and showed Manger in the lead. As the election workers began the process of counting the absentee ballots, he remarked that he felt proud of his campaign and what it had accomplished, no matter the outcome, a sentiment he continued to hold earlier this week.

“I was satisfied with either outcome, since although I have not won the election, I got my message out about open government and inclusivity,” he said. “During the debate, Mayor Bill Manger conceded on two major issues — no historic district expansion unless supported by the residents, and keeping Pond Lane open and improved. And now having Rob Coburn on the board, there will be more dialogue. The focus for the remainder of my term will continue to be for real time transparency around village decisions, advocating for sewage system solutions and fiscal oversight.

“I am prepared to work with the mayor and the board in the spirit of civility and collaboration while advancing policies that benefit the village,” he added.