Southampton to Take on Housing With New Hire

Diana Weir, a Wainscott resident who has held both elected and appointed East Hampton Town positions, has a new post. She will become the director of housing in Southampton Town's Land Management Department on June 1, in connection with Supervisor Jay Schneiderman's efforts to create more affordable housing.

The town board approved her appointment on April 25, pending Civil Service requirements, in a 3-to-2 vote. Councilwoman Christine Scalera and Councilman Stan Glnka voted against the appointment, concerned about the budget. The position, which has been vacant, will pay $110,000.

The councilwoman said her no vote was in no way a reflection on Ms. Weir, whom she called very credentialed, but as a result of the budget process. Mr. Glinka agreed. She also said the position was unwarranted as the town has a three-year contract with the Southampton Town Housing Authority.

Mr. Schneiderman, in his state of the town address last week, said Ms. Weir would help the town accomplish his goal of more affordable workforce housing.

Ms. Weir, who served with Mr. Schneiderman on the East Hampton Town Board for four years, is on the East Hampton Town Planning Board, and she said she would remain on the board at least until her term expires at the end of the year. She is also the commissioner of housing and human services in the Town of Brookhaven. She will step down from that position at the end of the month after four and a half years. She previously served for a decade on the Long Island Housing Partnership, which creates affordable housing, and also is a former member of the Suffolk County Planning Commission, an unpaid post.

Her hiring is part of Supervisor Schneiderman's focus on long-range planning. He said the community is coming together to tackle the difficult affordable housing problem. "In Speonk, residents worked closely with the developer to gain support for a small housing development," he said. "Speonk Commons should serve as a model for other communities in our town that recognize the need for more affordable housing to help working families."

In his address on April 25, Mr. Schneiderman emphasized public safety and quality-of-life issues as a priority in the latter part of his first term. With Police Chief Steven E. Skrynecki taking office on Monday, the creation of a Public Safety Department has moved to the top of his agenda. The new department will consolidate the resources of code enforcement, fire marshal, and animal control, he said.

The town board has passed legislation to address quality of life issues, including limits on the hours of operations of noisy construction equipment on weekends. Mr. Schneiderman announced that he will propose legislation that limits the number of cars that can be parked on rental properties and another that mandates mass-gathering permits for private parties with more than 75 guests.

"We want residents and visitors to enjoy our community without having to deal with excessive noise, over-crowded, or unsafe conditions," Mr. Schneiderman said, calling the proposals "common sense measures."

The town is also getting ready to roll out an app that will give residents the ability to report and track non-criminal complaints and requests, from potholes to code violations.

In long-range plans, Mr. Schneiderman mentioned a proposal he has been working to add an organic farming easement for farmland preservation, and a plan for the town to reduce its carbon footprint through renewable energy sources by 2025.

In an attempt to make town government more accessible to the public, the supervisor said that meetings have been held throughout the community since he took office.

Financially, the town is on sound footing, the supervisor said. The town was recently given a Triple-A status by Moody's and Standard & Poors.