Sarlo, Betts Talk Enforcement

Noisy clubs, illegal apartments, overcrowded houses, drunken driving, booze on the beach, cab drivers sleeping in cars overnight at the train station, and trash, trash everywhere. 

Things may be quieting down as we head into the colder months of the year, but the hallmarks of summer mayhem are a year-round topic of discussion and one that the Group for Good Government will tackle on Saturday as East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo and David Betts, the town’s director of public safety, talk code and law enforcement at the East Hampton Library. 

The discussion, which will run from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., is likely to touch on many of the woes that keep residents and law enforcement on edge in the summertime and throughout the year, what with our ballooning transient and part-time population and shifting year-round needs. 

After hundreds gathered at a town board meeting in Montauk this summer to demand action, town officials approached the problem with stepped-up enforcement and promises of regulatory efforts that might curtail some of the summertime headaches. One controversial suggestion, which is the subject of a town board hearing tonight, was a rental registry to rein in illegal rentals. 

All of these were the impetus for the Group for Good Government’s discussion on Saturday, the goal of which is to “provide better understanding of our codes and the process by which they are enforced,” wrote Jeffrey Fisher, a founder of the organization. The group hopes its guests will tackle such questions as “How do we improve the quality of life through sensible codes and efficient enforcement.” It hopes those in the audience will come away with a better idea of the challenges of code enforcement and some examples of successes. Chief Sarlo and Mr. Betts will also take questions from the audience.