Village election results: Southampton, Westhampton Beach, West Hampton Dunes
Southampton Village voters fill out ballots Friday at the Southampton Cultural Center. Credit: John Roca
Residents in Southampton, Westhampton Beach and West Hampton Dunes went to the polls Friday to elect leaders in their villages, with incumbents largely coming out on top.
In the Southampton mayoral race, incumbent William Manger Jr. won reelection to a second term with 622 votes, beating village board member Ed Simioni who received 510 votes. Southampton mayors serve two-year terms and receive an annual salary of $35,000.
In an interview Saturday, Manger Jr. said he is "honored" to serve the village. "I look forward to continuing the work that I began on the board two years ago," he said.
Manger Jr., 60, previously served in a top role in the U.S. Small Business Administration. He cited several projects in the works spanning preservation, water quality and traffic relief.
A key goal of his is to bring a sewer system to the business district, which currently relies on septic systems.
"Environmentally, it's not healthy for Lake Agawam ... but also it hurts local businesses who cannot expand," Manger said.
Simioni, 73, who was elected last year and has one year remaining on his board seat, owns an international freight forwarding business. He called the defeat a “win-win.”
“The most important thing is we got the issues out for people to be able to make a decision,” he told Newsday Friday night. “Also, I was able to talk about my positions on open government and public service and listening to the people, which is very important.”
Simioni, who previously served for 18 years on the Southampton Village Planning Commission, said the election and debates also afforded him the chance to sway his opponent on two issues: the closing of Pond Lane, which Simioni opposes, and allowing residents more say in being included as part of the expansion of a historic district, which Simioni favors.
The village also had a trustee race, with incumbent Roy Stevenson and challenger Rob Coburn winning two open seats with vote totals of 654 and 655, respectively. Incumbent Robin Brown lost with 455 votes. Trustees serve a two-year term and are paid $20,500 annually.
In Westhampton Beach, incumbent trustee Rob Rubio won reelection with 176 votes, while challenger Christopher Rizzo won the second open seat with 155 votes. Challengers Kim Wolfersdorf and Nancy St. John earned 128 and 91 votes, respectively. The two-year position pays $7,500 annually.
Incumbent Gary Trimarchi earned 113 votes while challenger Ryan Osborne received 131 votes, making them the winners in a West Hampton Dunes race for two open trustee seats. Challenger Luke McGinty received 70 votes, while write-in candidate and former mayor Gary Vegliante got 26 votes. The four-year seat pays $3,000 annually.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
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It's Your Business! This month's roundup including how to protect yourself from digital scams Join NewsdayTV as we recount the top business stories on LI that you need to know about.
