Maria Z. Moore was first elected to public office in 2014 and has served the Village of Westhampton Beach as Mayor for nine years.

Maria is a long-time resident of Westhampton Beach and an attorney by profession.  She graduated cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 1987, after having graduated cum laude from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst with a Bachelor’s degree in Legal Studies. Maria has been married to her husband Tom for 32 years, is an empty nester, and has two grown daughters, Elizabeth (27) a graduate of Columbia Law School and Jacqueline (24) a graduate of SUNY Fredonia.

In 1996, Maria and Tom and purchased a house on Lilac Road in Westhampton Beach and together they renovated it and made it their family home.  Maria was expecting their second child during the rehabilitation of this house. It was through Tom and Maria’s sweat-equity that the home on Lilac Road went from being termite ridden with broken water pipes and a leaking roof to become a pleasant place to raise their children within walking distance to the schools.

Maria’s professional career began with a position at a law firm in Garden City where she was an associate attorney for two years.  She then accepted employment as an attorney for Emigrant Bank in New York where Maria  provided legal advice to senior management and all departments of the bank. During her 20 year tenure, Maria rose to the position of First Vice President and Associate General Counsel. Emigrant is a community bank with its main office in Manhattan that first opened to serve Irish immigrants. Maria commuted by train from Speonk with friends who quickly dubbed themselves “the train gang.”  Through a mix of train commutes and telecommuting (it was still dial-up modems at that time) Maria was a full partner in a working family.

With Elizabeth entering High School  and Jackie in Middle School, Maria opened her own practice in Westhampton Beach with her attentions focused on her daughters, her home community and her clients.

Maria served on the Board of Trustees for the  Westhampton Free Library as both a Trustee and Treasurer.  Maria was a member of the Board during the construction of the new library, which was completed on time and under budget.  

For more than a decade when the cold weather set in from November through March, Maria was the coordinator for the homeless shelter at the Westhampton Presbyterian Church operated weekly for Maureen’s Haven, where she also serves on the church’s mission committee.  In 2013, Maria was honored by Rotary International when they named her a Paul Harris Fellow recognizing her for her work in the community.

During the 2011-2012 school year, Maria and her family hosted an exchange student from Zaragoza, Spain through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

In 2014, Maria was elected as Mayor for the Village of Westhampton Beach.  See story on 27east here.

Maria was re-elected mayor in 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022. During this time Maria worked tirelessly for the village and turned the part-time office of mayor into a full-time commitment.  Maria and the Village Trustees deserve bragging rights for the Main Street Revitalization Project, which has been described as “universally loved.”  See story on 27east here.

Before and during construction, Maria worked with shop owners to mitigate the disruption by keeping sidewalks open with reserved pedestrian street crossings. After years of planning, construction began in late September of 2019 and, with the contractors working from both ends of the street simultaneously, new drainage was installed to replace the failing 100 year old rainwater collection system, a variety of artifacts were preserved, and conduit for electricity, cable television and telephone, was put in place.  Roadwork was complete in December of 2019 and streets reopened to vehicular traffic.  Residents and merchants placed their trust in the mayor and the board  that the disruption would be limited and brief.   One longtime friend and former resident with a comedic sense told Maria in the middle of construction “I love what you’ve done with the place.”  Maria has been thankful to the merchants and the community for their patience.

By May of 2020, in the first year of the pandemic, the project was complete with the exception of getting the utility lines down which are now all underground with wires having been pulled through the prepositioned conduit. One shop owner and resident said afterward that business had more than rebounded and “Every day is like a Saturday in the summer.”  

Maria and the Trustees did not stop there, they have now completed  Phase I of the Sewer Project which provides wastewater treatment for the Main Street Business District and protects both the drinking water we all get from Long Island’s sole source aquifer as well as the marine environment we all enjoy. A “First Flush Ceremony” is scheduled for March 3, 2023.

The Main Street Revitalization Project and the Sewer Project have ushered in a new era for the Village of Westhampton Beach where businesses thrive, and visitors and residents alike can enjoy the benefits of a vibrant seaside resort that has become a year-round destination.  See reflections on this public works project published on 27east here. See also the Editorial in the Southampton Press on January 31, 2023 here.

Next in the works is the installation of  solar panel arrays on thirteen acres of property owned by the village to be leased to an operator.  The photovoltaic cells in these arrays will convert sunlight to electricity that will  help meet the demand for clean energy.

Maria always shares full credit for her success with members of the Village Board of Trustees along with Town and County leaders who came together to demonstrate how government can be great when it is the servant of the people.

It isn’t every day that a person with demonstrated community spirit and proven ability decides to stand for election. 

Please vote to re-elect Maria Z. Moore as your Mayor. elect Maria Moore as your next Southampton Town Supervisor