East Hampton appointed its first Town Administrator and Public Information Officer as part of an effort to better connect with its residents. Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez announced the changes at the town board’s organizational meeting last Tuesday, where Rebecca Hansen was sworn in as Town Administrator, and Nina Rayburn Dec was sworn in as Public Information Officer.
“We need to improve communication and the flow of information between Town Hall, the public, and the local business community,” said Burke-Gonzalez of her decision to create the two positions. “In 2024, we will strive to listen more, as public participation is critical.” Burke-Gonzalez served two and a half terms as a councilwoman before being sworn in as supervisor on January 2, adding up to a decade of public service. Her familiarity with the town and the way its government functions puts her at an advantage.
Rebecca Hansen, the new East Hampton Town Administrator, formerly served for seven years as the East Hampton Village administrator. She joined the town government as deputy budget officer in 2020. In her new role, Hansen will continue to be responsible for preparing the town’s operating budget in conjunction with its finance division, with the added responsibility of presenting research and recommendations on various issues to the town board.
Nina Rayburn Dec is starting her tenure as the town’s first Public Information Officer. She is a communications strategist and advisor, positioning her well for increasing communication between the town government and its residents. Rayburn Dec is a former podcast producer and executive director of the Bridgehampton Museum.
Burke-Gonzalez announced several initiatives she plans to put into motion aside from improving communication with the public at the January 2 meeting. Affordable housing, climate change, and community preservation were all addressed in her speech to the town board. The meeting was well-attended by town department heads like Jim Bennett of the Civil Services Employees’ Association union, Stephen Blanchard, head of the town’s public safety dispatchers, and Police Officer Joseph Izzo, president of the town’s Police Benevolent Association.
The supervisor outlined her plans to mitigate these issues. She described several new housing projects that will be opening this year as part of the All Hands on Housing initiative started in 2022. Sixty-six new affordable housing units are on track to be listed this year, including Cantwell Court, sixteen detached houses on Pantigo Road, and forty rental units under construction on Three Mile Harbor Road. East Hampton will also update its zoning code “to address the incompatible overdevelopment, protect our natural resources, and retain our sense of place.”
Preserving natural spaces and protecting the town from rising sea levels will also be areas of concentration for the town over the next few years. Burke-Gonzalez said that the town would use community preservation funds to acquire properties for shoreline protection, open space, recreation, and historical preservation and address threats to ground and surface water. Plans are in place to adopt the 100 percent renewable energy roadmap in early 2024.
“We will address climate change and sea level rise head-on by implementing a number of well-studied plans designed to build resiliency,” said Burke-Gonzalez, referring to the Montauk Point Reformulation project, which will see 450,000 cubic yards of sand dredged from an offshore site and deposited on downtown Montauk’s ocean beach.
