Greenport mayoral candidates to face off in first debate Tuesday; other forums set for trustees

Two Village mayoral debates are being sponsored by Rena Casey-Wilhelm, owner of the Weathered Barn in Greenport. The first debate will be held at Greenport High School Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 6:30 p.m. The second one is scheduled for Tuesday, March 14, also at 6:30 p.m., in the high school auditorium.

At each debate, the candidates will make timed opening and closing statements and answer questions both prepared and submitted by the audience. Limited red cards will be provided to each candidate for short rebuttals if they feel the need.

The League of Women Voters of the Hamptons, Shelter Island and the North Fork dropped its sponsorship of the trustee debates following “the problems and irregularities caused by confusing instructions,” the group said in a press release Saturday, referring to revelations last week that seven of the nine presumptive candidates had been left of the ballot due to a missed filing deadline. The Greenport Village Board voted unanimously on Thursday to extend the filing deadline and all the candidates are expected to be on the ballot as planned.

The trustee debates will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 4, at Holy Trinity Church on Main Street in Greenport and at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, in the Greenport High School auditorium. Heather Wolf, former Greenport school board president, will serve as moderator. Ms. Casey-Wilhelm will moderate the mayoral debates. The election will take place Tuesday, March 21.

The three mayoral candidates are incumbent George Hubbard Jr. and challengers Rich Vandenburgh and Kevin Stuessi.

Trustee candidates include Alison Tuthill, Lily Dougherty-Johnson, William Swiskey, Nicki Gohorel, and Patrick Brennan. Trustee Jack Martilotta is seeking reelection, and Peter Clarke, the other incumbent, is not.