Jerry Lawson, backed by local advocates, outlines bid for East Hampton supervisor and criticizes town management

Jerry Lawson, a former East Hampton Village police chief, outlined his campaign for East Hampton town supervisor in a June 16 interview on the local program Gung Ho, saying the town needs new leadership and criticizing recent decisions by the current administration.

"The town's in really bad shape. Uh they're calling it the town of No," Lawson said, arguing that permit delays and administrative choices are hurting residents. The appearance was introduced on-air by Rona Clapman of Women First, who said she had watched town government for decades and decided to endorse Lawson after meeting him: "I really think that Jerry is the person for now. He the town needs a change."

Lawson described his local roots and long policing career — starting as a traffic-control officer and rising to village police chief in 2003 — as part of the experience he would bring to the supervisor's office. He recounted investigative work, including an investigation of a scam artist with wider criminal ties that resulted in extradition and prosecution.

Lawson used the interview to list several concrete problems he says require immediate attention if elected. He criticized a recently enacted 2024 local rule requiring updated certificates of occupancy/financial disclosures tied to real-estate closings, saying it can leave sellers unable to close for extended periods. He also faulted what he described as a mismanaged senior center project: "You have wasted money on a ... $1.3 million. Just throw it away," Lawson said, describing the architect's firm going under and the project stalling.

He raised environmental concerns tied to that project, saying the town authorized a clearcut of seven acres that removed habitat for the long-eared bat, which he described as "almost extinct." Lawson said neighbors were harmed by the clearing and called the handling of the project a "scandal."

Lawson criticized a transfer of 911 services from the village to the town, saying the new arrangement was rushed and that town staff were not prepared to take over the center: "She forced this 911 center on her employees who were not ready to take it over," he said, attributing the difficulty to failed contract negotiations and strained intergovernmental relations.

On immigration enforcement, Lawson said the village has adopted a local policy drafted with the Office of Legal Affairs to limit local assistance to federal immigration enforcement: "We will not assist ICE in any civil matter," he said, adding that federal immigration practices have sometimes led to family separations.

Clapman and Lawson named several local endorsements Lawson said had shifted to his side, including a sitting councilman, and described efforts to revive in-person party engagement at community venues after a period of remote meetings.

The interview combined personal biography, law-enforcement anecdotes and campaign positions; Lawson framed his candidacy as a response to what he called mismanagement and a call for more responsive, community-focused local government. The program concluded with credits for public-television support.

The campaign details discussed on the program — the 2024 local real-estate rule, the $1.3 million senior-center payment, the seven-acre clearing and the 911 center transfer — were described by Lawson and his supporter on-air; the station did not present formal documentation during the segment.