Sylvia Overby

East Hampton Town Council
Sylvia Overby

Having grown up in Florida, it has been said that Sylvia puts the charm in “Southern.” She and husband Steve have lived in Amagansett for 31 years.

Sylvia has a bachelor’s degree in biology. She has taught middle school biology, been a manager for Macy’s, where she met Steve, and, while living in Atlanta, started her own business baking restaurant cheesecakes. The business was sold profitably just before she and Steve moved to Amagansett full-time.

Their two sons, Alec and Andrew, are graduates of Amagansett Elementary and East Hampton Middle School and High School. Alec married Blake in a ceremony at the Amagansett Presbyterian Church with the bride’s father officiating!

Got a tough job? Give it to a busy woman.
There are very few members of our community with a deeper understanding of planning and land-use issues. Before being elected to the Town Board, Sylvia had long been a member of the Amagansett Citizens Advisory Committee and served for six years as its chair. She chaired the Hamlets and Villages sub-committee for the East Hampton Comprehensive Plan. She then served a seven-year term on the East Hampton Planning Board, four years as its chair. On our Town Board, she serves as liaison for: Agriculture; Business; Anti-Bias Task Force; East Hampton Citizens Advisory; Community Preservation Fund; Energy Sustainability; Community Housing Opportunity; East Hampton Arts Council; Recycling and Litter; Amagansett Life Saving Station.

“The things people want from local government are what we all want — the quiet enjoyment of our homes, opportunity for our kids, a chance to earn a living through hard work, and time to enjoy this extraordinary and beautiful place in which we live. The work of building our economy, protecting our quality of life, and strengthening the bonds
of community is never finished. There is still work to be done. I want to do it.”

Some of what Sylvia has accomplished:
Strengthened the Town’s efforts to keep our ground and surface waters clean.
Worked with the Trustees to assure public access to our beaches and to keep Indian Wells Beach family friendly.
Worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Environmental Conservation to improve the Town’s resiliency.
Preserved open space, wetlands, watersheds, farmland, and historic properties through CPF purchases.
Saved Fort Pond house and kept local control of town assets.
Chain/formula store legislation.
Single use plastic bag ban legislation.
First-ever airport noise restrictions.
Initiated a professional Business and Hamlet Study.
Updated lighting law.
Upheld the legacy of saying No to the urbanization of East Hampton.
Supported our Town employees and encouraged their professionalism.
Restored civility to Town Board meetings that are now cordial, efficient, and in the public interest.