Long Island Proud: Conversation with the East Hampton Supervisor

Peter Van Scoyoc is both East Hampton Town Supervisor and a Facebook friend of mine. I thought I'd ask him some questions and put them up here on Patch.com. He agreed.

So I asked him what does he think has been his greatest successes so far as EH Supervisor? His answer: "I believe my greatest success as Supervisor has been the local response to the worldwide pandemic.We managed to have the 2nd lowest rate of Covid-19 infections of any town on Long Island despite an influx of refugees from the epicenter of the pandemic. We were able to bring testing to East Hampton and Montauk when access was very limited.In January of this year it became apparent to me that access to vaccine locally would not come soon enough based on my experience with testing. We needed to understand what was necessary to create a CDC/ Dept. of Health compliant local mass vaccination center. My approach was build it and the vaccine would come. So that's what we did. Once we had the former CDCH building prepared and stocked with all the necessary equipment in place: pharmacy grade refrigerator, freezer, masks, gloves, gowns, hand sanitizer, etc. then I put out the call for volunteers to help staff the center; nurses, doctors, and residents to help us. The response was overwhelming! We are blessed to have such a wonderful community.The next step was to convince the powers that controlled vaccine that we we ready and able to help with distribution. They were skeptical and probably a little afraid since vaccine was in such short supply and any wasted doses would be a media nightmare. I eventually found an ally in County Executive Steve Bellone. I believe he was finally persuaded during a Covid-19 panel discussion that was sponsored by the Press. We were cleared to receive our first allotment ( February 2021) and held our first clinic shortly after. Since then we have conducted multiple clinics vaccinating thousands of our residents. It has truly been the most rewarding experience as Town Supervisor. I am so grateful to all those volunteers who answered my call and gave so generously of their time and talent to help our community!"

Then I asked what surprised him most about the job after he first became supervisor? His answer, "I served as Deputy Supervisor under all 4 years of Larry Cantwell's administration. I thought I had a full understanding of what the job requires and upon his announcement that he would retire at the end of his second term I decided to run for Supervisor. After winning the election and just before Larry left office his parting comment was " You have no idea" meaning you may think you know what you're getting into but you don't. Frankly, Larry was right. In no time at all I came to understand that being Town Supervisor means you are always on call, the work never ends, never lets up, and I came to understand that in order to fulfill the position that the people of the town I love entrusted me with to the best of my ability, I would have to fully immerse myself. Being Town Supervisor is always challenging but can also be incredibly rewarding."

When asked, Who was most inspirational in making him the person he is today? He said, "I would have to say my parents. While there have been many people who have been valuable influences, the core values that I live by and hold dear were imparted to me by my parents. They nurtured me, allowed me to learn from my experiences, encouraged free thought and debate, instilled in me a respect of all people and the natural world, and have loved me unconditionally my entire life. I am so blessed to have had them in my life."

So I had to ask, Why do you want to continue as EH Supervisor? Supervisor Van Scoyoc relied, "We need to get our lives back on track after the Covid-19 pandemic; one of the most catastrophic and profound events in many generations. I feel that I have a responsibility to see us through this recovery. This is not the time to quit With a decade of service on the Town Board, I feel that I am uniquely qualified to continue to serve as Town Supervisor. I am asking the people of East Hampton to support me in this endeavor."

On the lighter side I asked Peter what is your favorite personal fishing story? He replied, "Well, as someone who has now fished for 59 years ( since the age of 3) it is a tall order to select just one favorite story. Here's one. I was fishing at a favorite Black Seabass spot in Block Island Sound about 7 years ago with my brother who was visiting from out of town. The tide was easing somewhat and the bite was just starting to get good. The week before I had made, what was for me, an extravagant purchase of a top quality 7 foot long graphite bait-casting rod coupled with a gold anodized aluminum reel also of high quality. This was the maiden fishing trip for the new equipment. We had just caught a couple of very nice seabass and my brother was putting his fish in the cooler when I had a strike on my line that literally pulled the rod from my hands. I exclaimed ( maybe an expletive ) and my brother turned only to see me diving overboard. He had no idea what was happening, only that I continued to swim down into the cold, clear water. I could see the glistening gold reel sinking, slowed somewhat by the cork handle and hollow graphite rod. At about ten to twelve feet below the surface, I managed to grab my new rig. I had to free spool the line somewhat to surface as there was still a big fish on the line. When I finally was able to swim back to the boat, I handed the rod to my brother and climbed aboard and proceeded to land a very large Black Seabass. I retrieved my hat but lost my sunglasses. I have been a licensed boat captain for my entire adult life and have had so many great adventures on the water. I know you love to sail T.J. and I would enjoy trading stories with you sometime." I told him I look forward to that.