Vegliante Dethroned in West Hampton Dunes Village After More Than 30 Years as Mayor, as Newcomers Seize Majority

West Hampton Dunes Mayor Gary Vegliante, one of the tiny oceanfront village’s founding fathers, lost his reelection bid late on Friday night to political newcomer Irwin Krasnow, who will now become just the second mayor in the 31-year history of the village.

Krasnow, a commercial real estate developer from Syosset, unseated Vegliante with 159 votes to the current mayor’s 104, following a race marked by accusations of wrongdoing on the part of some members of the Village Board and questions about Vegliante’s residency status in the village.

Voters also elected Krasnow’s running mates, trustee candidates Regina Mulhearn, with 149 votes, and Howard Freedman, with 148, over incumbent trustees Michael Craig, 108, and Harvey Gessin, 103.

The three new board members — who dubbed themselves the Clean Slate Party — will now hold majority control of the five-member Village Board. Krasnow has said they intend to implement new policies directed at tightening ethical controls within village government.

“I’m excited to do what needs to be done and correct some of the wrongs of the last 20 years,” Krasnow said after the drawn out process of counting the ballots ended after 11 p.m. on Friday. “I would like to thank all those who voted for change.”

Krasnow was not at the polling place himself to face his opponent, but in a house next door, where the chorus of Kool & The Gang’s song “Celebration” was already echoing though the dunes when the vote counting process finally concluded.

“I want to thank Gary Vegliante for all his years of service to the village,” Krasnow told the crowd of supporters gathered in the lofted house. “I hope in the spirit of cooperation that he will work with me on a positive transition plan starting Monday.”

Vegliante is currently the highest-paid village mayor in New York State, by far, with an annual base salary of more than $109,000. Krasnow said that he will reduce the mayor’s compensation substantially when he takes office on July 1.

Vegliante, who had only been challenged for mayor once before, met his defeat with an upbeat assessment and wished his successor well.

“This will be my first summer vacation in 30 years,” he said with a disappointed smile.

“It’s been a real honor and a privilege for me to serve this community for more than 30 years,” he added. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done and the people I’ve worked with. It’s been my greatest accomplishment in life.”

Beside Vegliante on Friday night stood attorney Joseph Prokop. In the early 1990s, the two had spearheaded the campaign to incorporate the westernmost end of Dune Road in Westhampton into its own village — a village that, at the time, was nearly half under water following catastrophic erosion that destroyed dozens of homes.

The new village promptly sued Suffolk County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, blaming the construction of the 14 stone groins in Westhampton Beach, and the political meddling that had left the project incomplete, for having caused the disastrous erosion. The court ordered the county and feds to undertake a massive reconstruction of the barrier island east of Moriches Inlet and to guarantee its stability for the next 30 years.

And for all of that 30 years, Vegliante has been the singular face of the village. He took on the job of mayor as a full-time position and with a supporting cast of trustees focused on property values, led a government that spurred and encouraged roaring redevelopment as soon as the sand had dried and battled efforts by other agencies to cramp their style. With the most liberal zoning codes in the region, building lots multiplied and homes soared upward — both in height and value.

But in recent years, Vegliante and the Village Board had been dogged by raised eyebrows about the mayor’s residency — he has not owned a home in the village since 2018 and has not owned property since 2020 — and ethical questions about trustees who had millions of dollars invested in real estate development ventures in the village.

Vegliante had defended his right to run for reelection again, saying that he has a caretaking lease on a Dune Road house, and his challengers had not sought legal avenues to disqualifying him — appealing instead to voters to finally look to new leadership.

“This wasn’t easy,” Mulhearn — who is more widely known by her married name, Gina Cappiello, said to supporters on Friday. “It wasn’t easy for all of us. It was very emotional and it was hard, and I want to thank all of you for doing this.”