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Politics & Government

Bonnie Cannon Will Not Seek Re-Election

Southampton Village trustee's third term will be her last.

Wrapping up her sixth year on the Southampton Village Board, Trustee Bonnie Cannon said Wednesday that it is time for her to move on to something new.

Cannon will not seek another two-year term in the village election coming up June 15.

Having been out front, and learning how things work, Cannon said she now thinks she can be more effective behind the scenes. She said she will continue to be a community advocate for minority, senior and youth issues and the less fortunate.

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"She will be missed significantly by the village," Mayor Mark Epley said. "She's done a lot of great work, not only for the minorities in the village, but also the seniors, and a lot of the youth programs have been because of her.”

For example, Cannon started the village's annual Senior Appreciation Luncheon, he said.

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Epley said he and Cannon discussed her future on the Village Board a year ago, and he understood then that she is very involved in the community and very busy. Jokingly, he said that candidates are roped in thinking that the time commitment for being a trustee just entails attending two meetings a month, while in reality it's like having another full-time job.

Cannon served a brief stint on the Village Board in 2005, when she was appointed to complete an unfinished term. Then a year later, she became the first African-American to be elected trustee in Southampton Village.

Cannon will continue to serve as co-chair of the Southampton Town Housing Authority and is a co-founder of the African American Museum of the East End. For her profession, she is the executive director of the .

Richard Yastrzemski, Cannon's fellow Citizens With Integrity Party member, will be on the June 15 ballot seeking his third term. Their party has not put up a replacement candidate for Cannon. However, the Patriot Party, which was started last year by Trustee Bill Hattrick, is running , the chair of the Planning Board, and Epley said the Citizens With Integrity Party will endorse Irving as well.

"He’s an independent thinker," Epley said of Irving. "He’s a good guy, he’s a solid citizen and I would be hard pressed to find someone as well qualified."

Candidates have until May 11 to collect 75 signatures and turn them in to .

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