Southampton Village mayor's race: William Manger Jr. defeats incumbent Jesse Warren

Southampton Village Trustee William Manger Jr. was elected mayor Friday night as he defeated incumbent Jesse Warren in the village election.

Manger received 834 votes compared with 600 for Warren, according to the village clerk.

Trustees Robin Brown and Roy Stevenson, who ran on the same ticket as Manger, were reelected. They defeated challengers Greg Centeno and Palmer Hudson, who ran on a ticket with Warren.

Stevenson received 849 votes and Brown totaled 797. Hudson received 551 and Centero totaled 522.

"It was pretty resounding that the voters wanted our team over the other," Manger said Saturday. "We were all talking about restoring civility and stability to the village. And we were going to work well together as a team."

Warren, 40, had been seeking a third two-year term and will now leave office after four years.

Manger, 58, declared his candidacy 10 months after taking his seat on the village board. The remaining term for his trustee position would be filled by an appointment on the new board, according to the village clerk.

He will be sworn in as mayor at noon on July 3 on the steps of Village Hall.

Manger served in the U.S. Department of Transportation and Small Business Administration during the Trump administration.

The four current trustees have been at odds with Warren in recent months, a strife that boiled over when Warren voted against hiring Suffolk Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony Carter as the village’s chief of police. The board appointed Carter in December, but he decided against taking the position a month later.

Warren had said Carter had few local ties and had yet to take the Civil Service examination, leaving no guarantee he would pass or finish with a score among the top three candidates, as required.

"Because of some of the drama in Village Hall, I feel like we weren't being as efficient in moving forward on some of the initiatives we want to get accomplished," Manger said, pointing to an update of the village's comprehensive plan and ongoing discussions about a wastewater treatment plant as examples.

The mayor's annual salary is $25,000, and trustees are paid $15,000.

The Village of Sagaponack also held an election Friday. Incumbent trustees William Barbour and Carrie Thayer Crowley defeated challenger David McMillan.

Barbour received 77 votes, followed by 59 for Thayer Crowley and 51 for McMillan, according to the village clerk.

Trustee terms are for two years and are unpaid.

The next round of village elections will be held Tuesday. Contested races are in Bellport, Manorhaven, Poquott, Port Jefferson and Sag Harbor.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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