Government Briefs - 06.02.11
East Hampton Town
Citizens Welcome
J.B. Dosantos, a co-chairman of the East Hampton Citizens Advisory Committee, has invited residents of East Hampton Village, Northwest, Freetown, and the surrounding other neighborhoods to take part in the discussions at the group’s monthly meetings. Prospective new members will be welcomed at its Monday, June 13, meeting in Town Hall at 7:30 p.m. Voting members are appointed by the East Hampton Town Board, and while holding no authority, the committees often the first venue where community concerns are brought to the attention of elected officials and town departments.
New Business Committee
After two business summits to discuss the concerns and needs of East Hampton business owners, the East Hampton Town Board is set to impanel a committee that will be asked to analyze existing businesses in the town and potential business opportunities.
East Hampton Town Councilwoman Theresa Quigley has compiled a list of potential committee members, half of whom are local business owners and the other half second-home owners, who will be asked to make recommendations to the board on “how to marry the concept of our environment — which is crucial to who we are — and the open space concept with the viability of the community economically,” she said at a Tuesday work session.
Board members are to review the candidates before making appointments. Town Councilwoman Julia Prince suggested Tuesday that the group include year-round residents who are not members of the business community, in order to represent the wishes and needs of locals, such as a desire for a better supermarket here, she said. J.P.
New York State
Gas Price Gouging?
Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. accused major gasoline suppliers of price gouging during Memorial Day weekend on Tuesday, which he said was a violation of the state’s ban on zone pricing and was intended to take advantage of the spike in tourism. He pointed to a nationwide decline in gas prices over the past month and the decrease in the price of oil (down to about $100 a barrel) and questioned why South Fork gas prices seem “frozen in time,” still 20 cents or so higher than the rest of the county.
“It is obvious that when it came to gasoline prices in one of the most popular vacation communities in America, ‘Big Oil’ has chosen to not only ignore the zone pricing law but also repeal the law of supply and demand,” the assemblyman said in a statement.
Mr. Thiele promised to contact the state attorney general and also said he was introducing a bill into the Assembly to clarify the nature of zone pricing and provide new protections for wholesalers who are overcharged.