Jun 8, 2011 10:39 AM

Southampton Town Councilman Chris Nuzzi declined the Republican Party nomination for town supervisor this week, nearly three weeks after he was picked to lead the GOP ticket this November, leaving party leaders scrambling to come up with another candidate to challenge Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst in the fall.

After spending weeks thinking about his decision, Mr. Nuzzi issued a lengthy statement on Monday afternoon explaining that while he was grateful for the support of the Republican Party, he would not run for supervisor this fall due to family commitments. He and his wife, Sandy, have four children all under the age of 6; their youngest son, Anthony, was born in January.

“I consider my time in public office as a privilege extended to me by the voters, and I know the extent of the personal and professional commitment it takes to endure a campaign and be successful in service,” Mr. Nuzzi said in the prepared statement. “Each time I decided to put myself forward for consideration, I carefully weighed the impacts of such a decision, as I believe there is no such thing as proceeding forward without being 100-percent committed. And opportunities to pursue these positions should be carefully balanced with the requirements of family ...

“However, after much thought and consideration, and based upon the current needs of family, I am reaffirming my decision to not run for supervisor at this time,” he continued. “Going forward, my commitment remains to serving the public as a member of the Town Board where I intend to continue to progress the economic, environmental and quality of life issues important to our community. I look forward to future potential opportunities where personal circumstances may allow me the ability to continue my efforts in public service.”

When reached on Wednesday morning, Mr. Nuzzi said he believes he made the best decision.

“It was a difficult decision for me, and of course there was a part of me that would love to pursue the challenge of the campaign and the possibility of serving in the position, but in the end you’ve got to weigh out your personal responsibilities at the time and professional responsibilities and you know I just realized the best thing for me is to reaffirm my initial decision not doing it at this time.”

Shortly before Mr. Nuzzi issued a written statement on Monday explaining his decision, Ernest Wruck, the chairman of the Southampton Town Republican Committee, released a statement of his own stating that Mr. Nuzzi was “the best choice for the people of Southampton.” Mr. Wruck added that the GOP will now contact other possible supervisor candidates, including several “non-political community leaders.”

Mr. Wruck also encouraged “anyone who resides in the town who has a sincere interest in running for Southampton supervisor on the Republican line to contact any Republican representative,” adding that the party is “reviewing its legal options as to selecting a new candidate.”

Before last month’s GOP convention, Mr. Nuzzi, who lives in Westhampton Beach and still has more than two years remaining on his current term, said he was not interested in running for supervisor. It would have been a safe run for him if he decided to challenge Ms. Throne-Holst, who was nominated last month by the Southampton Town Democratic Committee to seek reelection. In addition to his part-time position serving on the Town Board, Mr. Nuzzi holds a full-time job as the director of the South Fork office of Skyline Title LLC, a title search company.

Mr. Nuzzi and Mr. Wruck did not return multiple calls and requests seeking comment this week.

The town GOP has a deadline of July 14 to come up with a party designating petition nominating a candidate to submit to the Suffolk County Board of Elections. That petition must contain 500 signatures.

Republicans have nominated former Assistant Southampton Town Attorney Christine Preston Scalera and retired Southampton Town Police Lieutenant Bill Hughes to run for seats on the Town Board, incumbents Town Justice Edward Burke and Tax Receiver Theresa Kiernan, who are seeking reelection, and five candidates for Town Trustee—incumbents Ed Warner Jr., Jon Semlear, Fred Havemeyer, Eric Shultz and newcomer Scott Horowitz.

The Southampton Town Democratic Committee endorsed Ms. Throne-Holst for supervisor, incumbent Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming and Brad Bender, who is the past president of the Flanders Riverside and Northampton Community Association, for Town Board, and incumbent Bill Pell for Town Trustee.