Simioni, Zinnanti Capture Two Seats on Southampton Village Board on Friday; Deputy Mayor Loses Seat After Four Years on Board

Southampton Village Deputy Mayor Gina Arresta lost her seat on the Village Board in polling for two seats on Friday, June 21.

Newcomer Ed Simioni captured a seat on the board as the top vote-getter on Friday, with 515 votes. Len Zinnanti won his first full term on the board, having been appointed a year ago, with 506 votes.

Arresta, who was seeking a third term on the Village Board, had 479 votes. Challenger Josh Belury had 389 votes.

It will be the first time on the Village Board for Simioni, 72, although he served for more than 20 years on the Southampton Village Planning Commission under three different administrations.

During the campaign, he vowed to change the “5-0 supermajority” on the board and said he would work to eliminate wasteful spending. He was critical of salary increases and the extension of lifetime health benefits for village trustees and vowed to donate his salary to charity if elected.

Simioni is a business owner, working in the freight-forwarding industry, where he coordinates air and ocean shipments from Italy to the United States. He is also a member of the Southampton Rotary Club.

Simioni pointed out that he had the most votes and said he thought his win “feels like a mandate from the village for some more transparency.”

During the campaign season, Simioni pledged to add more diversity of thought if elected to the board, and pointed out that the 5-0 outcome of every board vote signals that more of that is needed. He added that despite that, he’s eager to work with the mayor and current members of the board.

“Going forward, I definitely want to work closely with the mayor. I think he’s a good mayor,” Simioni said. “And if I have different points of view and thoughts, I’d like to be able to express those, and maybe that will change some minds and we’ll get better decisions as well.

“The important thing is, there’s another voice on the board,” he added. “I’m there to make a positive impact and to work closely with the mayor, but if I truly have a different opinion, it will be ventilated.”

Zinnanti has served for one year on the board, after being appointed by Mayor Bill Manger to fill his trustee seat when Manger was elected mayor with one year left on his two-year term as trustee.

Zinnanti, 74, previously served as the chair of the Budget and Finance Committee for the village. He had spent 30 years in the New York City Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget. He has also worked as chief operating officer at Hunter College and City College, within the CUNY system, and spent time as the university comptroller at CUNY. He also served the New York Philharmonic as its administrative and financial officer.

More recently, Zinnanti worked for Suffolk County in several capacities, reforming the county’s procurement system and asset management system, and also coordinating the COVID fiscal impact task force for the county executive. He retired in January.

He spoke about being elected to his first full term as a trustee after the election.

“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to serve Southampton,” he said. “I’m deeply grateful to the voters who trust in my ability to advance and protect our quality of life. It is my privilege to serve our community, and I look forward to building on the extraordinary work we have done together.”

Arresta, 67, spent four years on the Village Board and was trustee liaison to the Department of Public Works in addition to serving as deputy mayor.

She admitted she was disappointed in the outcome and had hoped to continue serving the village and continue on the projects she’d put her energy into over the last few years.

“I’m honored to have been given the opportunity to serve the residents of our beautiful village for the past four years,” she said. “The voters have spoken, so congrats to Len and Ed on their roles.”

Arresta expressed her gratitude to her running mate Zinnanti for his support and partnership in the race as well. A few days after the election, she shared more thoughts about the outcome and her years of service.

“I’m very proud of the work that we’ve done, especially in this past year,” Arresta said. “Getting the infrastructure where it’s supposed to be, working with Johnson Controls, which is continuing. And the work we’ve done with the Department of Public Works. We’ve been working in tandem to beautify the village, and people have told me they’ve never seen the village look as beautiful as it does today.

“I think my favorite part was working with the professionals we have at Village Hall,” Arresta continued. “It was an honor to get to know so many of them.”

Arresta added that since the election loss, she has been bolstered by an outpouring of messages, calls and emails from village residents expressing their appreciation for the work she’s done over the past few years, which has helped cushion the blow of the loss.

“I’ve always put the village first,” she said. “Always.”