Kathee Burke-Gonzalez for East Hampton supervisor

Housing affordability, traffic, airport noise, rising sea levels and adjusting municipal services after a big population spurt are challenges facing the next supervisor of East Hampton Town. The problems aren’t new for one of the Island’s most high-profile communities but are getting more acute.

Post-pandemic population growth of 32% drove property values to stratospheric levels, leaving workers who keep the town running even fewer places to live. More cars bring requests for more stop signs and designated bike lanes for better road safety. The long-standing fight over noise and air pollution at East Hampton Airport is at a standstill as a court order has paused town restrictions.

Deputy supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez seeks to replace Peter Van Scoyoc, who is retiring. The Democrat says she has the experience to better manage the town’s shifting needs, noting the board has added more police, fire marshals and code enforcers. She worked to obtain land in Amagansett for a new senior center to be built next year.

To attract and keep municipal workers, Burke-Gonzalez wants to introduce career development training for employees, increase their compensation, and construct more housing designated for residents who perform essential services.

Until she stepped away from responsibility for the town-owned airport last year, Burke-Gonzalez, who turns 62 next week, was directly involved in efforts to impose flight restrictions and increase landing fees. But she declined to discuss the airport because of ongoing litigation.

Burke-Gonzalez, of Springs, is deeply versed in the effort to develop a coastal resiliency plan to prepare the town for rising sea levels and more frequent storms. She said the town needs to start a discussion on managed retreat by establishing thresholds for parcels where rebuilding would not be allowed.

Republican Gretta I. Leon, a new face on the political scene, said she has a degree in dentistry science but does not practice and declined to disclose where she works. Her focus is on keeping working-class residents in town and amplifying their voices, especially on the need for better bus service. Leon, 36, of East Hampton, said some money in the Community Preservation Fund which protects land from development should be freed up to build affordable housing, though a separate community housing fund was established last year for this purpose.

Leon is a passionate voice but does not have the experience or the vision needed to run the town. Burke-Gonzalez has the management and consensus-building skills to move the town forward.

Newsday endorses Burke-Gonzalez.