Montauk Bids Farewell to Most 'Welcome to N.Y.' Signs
Responding to complaints from Montauk residents and town and state elected officials, New York State dispatched a contractor last week to remove seven of the eight "Welcome to New York" signs that went up in Montauk shortly before the July 4 holiday weekend.
East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell confirmed Monday that the signs, which were widely criticized in the hamlet, had been removed sometime between Thursday afternoon and Saturday. He had likened them to the type of billboard one would see on a state throughway. The last remaining sign, which still stands at the intersection of West Lake Drive and Flamingo Road, is to be replaced by one half its size, he said.
"I'm grateful the state responded to our concerns," he said. "However, their decision to leave one sign is still out of character with a small fishing village like Montauk, and that should be removed as well."
The huge blue signs were erected as part of the Empire State Development Corporation's signature "I Love New York" tourism campaign, a spokesperson for that entity said in a statement on July 2. Similar signs reportedly caused a stir in Port Jefferson and on the North Fork.
On Monday, the corporation issued a statement that said, "We are pleased to have reached an agreement with local leaders which addresses their concerns but continues to promote the world-renowned 'I Love N.Y.' campaign. New York State tourism has generated a record-breaking economic impact of $102 billion across the state, supporting over 894,000 jobs and generating $8 billion in state and local taxes in 2015."
Mr. Cantwell, who was joined by Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle in calling for removal of the signs, acknowledged the community effort it took for that to happen.
"I think the community and its elected officials on the local and state level were all on the same side for sure, without question," he said. "I just wish all the signs were gone."
Mr. Thiele said Tuesday that the signs had been part of a $25 million statewide tourism campaign, though he could not pinpoint exactly how much had been spent on the ones in Montauk. "I would say that I could think of a better way to use $25 million than these signs." While he did not have a figure for the cost to take them down, he said, "In contrast, I think it was money well spent."
Mr. Thiele said the lesson learned from all of this is that communication between governmental agencies is of the utmost importance.
"I think a lot of this could have been avoided by simply discussing this with the local town supervisors and village mayors," he said. "These signs simply appeared. One of the things I've learnd about government and politics is that most times, surprise isn't a good thing."