Urban Appointed Westhampton Beach Village Mayor

The Westhampton Beach village board appointed a new mayor to temporarily fill the seat vacated by Maria Moore, who took over as Southampton Town supervisor in January, until an election can be held so voters can choose a permanent replacement.

The board voted to name Deputy Mayor Ralph Urban to fill Moore’s seat until June 30, and Trustee Stephen A. Frano was named the new deputy mayor.

“There are an awful lot of things going on in the village just in general,” Urban said. “We have the donated bocce courts to be completed, ongoing negotiations with the police department. We have the challenge of employment of young people for our beaches and seasonal people with the increases in minimum pay … There are a lot of challenges ahead.”

One of the biggest projects before the village is the restoration of a windmill built in the 1870s, with work expected to start in March. That $1.5 million job is expected to take about a year to complete.

-With Chloe Gross