As Democratic class Southampton Town supervisor candidate James Henry
prepares for his upcoming campaign, he knows that he is not just facing the daunting task of unseating three-term
incumbent Town Supervisor Patrick Heaney.
Mr. Henry also realizes that he must overcome a party track record that includes
a string of election losses and, worse, candidates for the top office who have stopped campaigning before Election
Day.
In the past 10 years, Southampton Democrats have lost all five races for town
supervisor, and have endured two instances in which their endorsed candidates have prematurely pulled out of their
respective races. Also, in 2005, Democratic supervisor candidate Gary Schwartz briefly suspended his active campaigning
in the midst of the race for undisclosed reasons.
When discussing recent history, some Democratic committee members say the control
Republicans have over Town Hall would affect any party, while others argue that the demands of a campaign were
just too much for the candidates fielded in the past. But they all maintain that this year, things are going to
be different.
That insistence begins with the supervisor candidate himself, who is a Sag Harbor
attorney, writer and managing director of a consulting firm called the Sag Harbor Group. “I’m going to stay in,
and I’m going to win. I made a fundamental commitment to be in the race for the finish,” he said.
Mr. Henry—who is not a registered Democrat; he is a registered voter but has no
affiliation—said he also plans to seek the nomination from the Working Families and Independence parties as well.
On Wednesday, Southampton Town Democratic Committee Chairman Mike Anthony said
the party’s decision not to run a registered Democrat for supervisor has nothing to do with the ability of the
committee to field a suitable candidate. “It’s not that we wouldn’t [run a registered Democrat],” Mr. Anthony said.
“Part of that has to do with landing a good candidate.”
Nevertheless, Mr. Anthony said Mr. Henry’s “bent is toward a Democratic side.” He based that estimation on several
conversations he had with Mr. Henry prior to the convention.
Mr. Anthony acknowledged that some committee members might not have realized Mr. Henry’s “blank” affiliation at
the time but said, “It’s not necessarily a deep concern of ours at the time.”
Less than a week after their nominating convention, Southampton Town Democratic
Committee members were equally optimistic about Mr. Henry’s chances in November. Members credited Mr. Anthony as
well. Former Town Councilman Dennis Suskind, a Democrat and a member of the local party’s screening committee said,
“I think the party is much more together with its new leadership than it has been in a long time.”
Marion Boden, a committee member and former president of the Hampton Bays Civic
Association, said, “I think I sensed more enthusiasm and excitement than in many other years. The candidates have
outstanding credentials.”
Early Democratic optimism about this year’s ticket run in contrast with the party’s
previous woes.
In July 2003, supervisor candidate Hank de Cillia abruptly dropped out of the
race against Mr. Heaney. Though Mr. de Cillia dropped out after just eight weeks of campaigning, that was enough
time to prevent the party from fielding another candidate. Looking back on his “15-minute political career,” Mr.
de Cillia said he was not ready for the grind of campaigning. “I felt that I could do the job, but not what was
necessary to get elected to do the job,” he said.
In 1999, four years before Mr. de Cillia’s early exit, Dr. Elaine Fox unexpectedly dropped out of the supervisor
race in September, which cleared the way for Vince Cannuscio, a Republican, to win another term as supervisor.
In late October 2005, Mr. Schwartz sent an announcement to media outlets stating
that he would stop actively campaigning for the seat. A week later, Mr. Schwartz resumed his campaign, but never
fully explained why he suspended the campaign or restarted it.
Neither Dr. Fox nor Mr. Schwartz could not be reached for comment this week. To explain the disturbing trend, some
Democratic officials chalked it up to political inexperience among candidates. Mr. Anthony noted that, in certain
cases, there was “a big collision” between the expectations of campaigning and the grinding realities. Mr. Suskind
said Mr. de Cillia did not know what he was getting into at the time and Mr. Schwartz—who ran against Mr. Heaney
in 2005—“was just [in] over his head.” Others pointed out that continued Democratic losses were much larger than
the individual candidates. Speaking about the history he was up against, Mr. Henry stressed this wasn’t a problem
specific to the Southampton Town Democratic Committee. Calling Southampton Town “a Republican preserve for many
years,” Mr. Henry said a poor Democratic track record was the consequence of taking on any established, successful
party.
“It’s not a general Democratic disease. You’re up against a powerful machine with
a lot of money,” Mr. Henry said, referring to the local Republican Party.
Southampton Democratic Committee • PO Box 384 • Westhampton • New York
11977