Turning the Page: Former East End Town Supervisors Reflect on Their Tenure

The rare and possibly unprecedented change of all five East End town supervisors in one election has given the former leaders a chance to focus on new pursuits after passing the reins.

Those who left office at the end of the 2023 were ex-East Hampton Town Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc, former Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman, retiring Riverhead Town Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, prior Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and preceding Shelter Island Town Supervisor Gerry Siller — all of whom were replaced at the start of the new year.

“They say the supervisor job is probably the hardest job, and probably the most thankless job,” Schneiderman said at the December 21 board meeting. “It’s not a thankless job. I can tell you everywhere I go, people come up and say, ‘We really appreciate your service.’ This community is an amazing community, and every minute has been a joy to serve.”

The historic change came as Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine became the first new county exec in 12 years after his predecessor, Democrat Steve Bellone, was term-limited and the Twin Forks got two new county legislators in about a decade — giving the Hamptons and North Fork new town and county government representation all at once.

Some former supervisors made clear their plans for their lives after leaving elected office, while others were more coy. But all looked back fondly on their time in town hall. Here are their parting words.

Outgoing East End Town Supervisors Share Parting Words

SOUTHOLD

Setting a record for his service was Scott Russell on the North Fork, who ranked as the longest-serving town supervisor in Southold history with 18 years in the post — starting as town assessor in 1990 before that.

The Republican did not specify what exactly his plans may be after retiring from the town’s top job, but he described his experience as not unlike that of Schneiderman’s, even though the two men represented opposite ends of the East End and are members of rival political parties.

“I don’t believe in legacies, but the one thing that I love is that the community knew that they could trust me, that they could come up to me, that I was approachable, and that they could express to me their issues,” Russell said at the December 19 board meeting. “Whether it was something they needed, whether it was a kind word, whether it was to support something I said or to oppose it, they felt that level of comfort.”

He summed up his experience with the humor that was a feature of his tenure, saying: “I used to joke that I could go into King Kullen with a list and would come out with a longer list.”

Replacing Russell is new Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski, a Democrat and former Suffolk County legislator who was the only member of the panel who was a farmer — despite the legislative seal being a plow.

RIVERHEAD

At the gateway to the North Fork was Yvette Aguiar, a Republican who made headlines for being the first Hispanic woman elected to be Riverhead Town supervisor four years ago.

During the December 19 town board meeting, she said that she had no plans to serve more than the pair of two-year terms that she did.

“While many people — including people above me when I was running for office — thought I’ll never make it, we did,” she recalled. “I’m used to a good challenge. But once I got up here … it’s a different picture.”

She recalled how she navigated 16-hour days of jumping from one Zoom call to another at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as police officers had to deliver resolutions to town board member’s homes in order to keep the wheels of government turning.

“I wasn’t going to be a career politician,” she recalled, noting her prior experience in the New York City Police Department, as a college professor and as a real estate agent. “This is my third career.”

Aguiar indicated that this won’t be the last that residents hear from her, as she’s planning to write more — readers may have already spotted her occasional byline within the pages of this publication.

“There might be a memoir coming around,” she said. “I’m pretty sure that there is. And those key players will be in there, whether it was good or bad, you’ll be identified, I promise you that.”

Replacing Aguiar is fellow Republican Riverhead Town Supervisor Timothy Hubbard, who is also a former member of law enforcement, although he served as a town police detective.

EAST HAMPTON

Leaving a rocky tenure in his wake is Peter Van Scoyoc, who led the Town of East Hampton amid litigious fights over the future of East Hampton Airport, offshore wind projects and access to Truck Beach in Napeague.

Despite the drama, the Democrat reflected fondly on his three terms as supervisor. “Serving as an elected official really is probably the most improbable career choice for me,” he recalled at the December 21 board meeting. “It’s not something I ever intended to do, had no aspirations to do. But I felt a calling to serve my community at that time particularly and had a vision for where I felt the community should go, and to carry on the work that had the groundwork from those who had preceded us on the town board and within the community. And I have to say being town supervisor has been the most challenging and yet rewarding endeavors I’ve ever been involved with.”

He continued, “There have been many highs and lows … I know Supervisor (Larry) Cantwell used to say, ‘It’s like riding a rollercoaster, you go up, you go up, and then it’s a free fall.’ To me it’s been more like riding bareback on a buffalo, trying to juggle a dozen eggs. At times it’s been like that, at other times it’s been like sailing with a warm tailwind and a following sea and buoyed by the profound sense of community that we have here, and the purpose we are all here to serve.”

Replacing Van Scoyoc is new East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez, a fellow Democrat who served on the town board before seeking higher office and previously worked in advertising.

SHELTER ISLAND

On Shelter Island, Gerry Siller was the only one of last year’s five incumbent East End town supervisors who was seeking re-election instead of leaving office by choice.

Siller was doing his second tour as town supervisor — he served two terms starting in 1998 before being elected to another two terms beginning in 2019 — and was seeking a third term when he lost a Democratic primary to Arnott Gooding, who then lost the general election. Siller could not be reached for comment on what he plans to do next.

“This board had the strength to identify and address the current needs of the town, despite being attacked on numerous occasions by a small, but very well-funded, organized and vocal group, who didn’t agree with our vision,” Siller told the Shelter Island Reporter. “If anyone took the time to watch the actual exchanges at the meetings, they would see that I never initiated any hostility. What I did do was not back down to those who chose to be rude, tell untruths or try to disrupt meetings. Basically, I gave back what was being thrown at the town board, and those on the receiving end didn’t like that.”

Replacing Siller is Shelter Island Town Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams, a Republican and certified public accountant.

SOUTHAMPTON

Back in the Town of Southampton, Jay Schneiderman wasted no time using his newfound time off to take a trip to Portugal.

As the founder of the Breakers motel in Montauk and an accomplished drummer, his tenure as Southampton Town supervisor follows a stint as East Hampton Town supervisor and as the Suffolk legislator representing the South Fork. While he too was vague on his plans for the future, he suggested that he will miss most of all the public debate that helps shape policy.

“We don’t always agree, and that’s OK,” he said. “It’s … about how we disagree, that we’ll listen to each other, that we respect each other’s opinions, that we know that those opinions are coming from a heartfelt place — it’s what we believe, a place of good conscience. It’s a sad transition for me in a sense because I love what I do so much. I love working with my colleagues on the board … we’ve gotten a lot of great things done together.”

Replacing Schneiderman is Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore, the former mayor of the Village of Westhampton Beach.